A Flame in the Dark
by JohnnyGrayson
Summary: The Fire Nation took everything from him, his revenge will be bloody! Yulizan lost his family through the hand of the Fire Lord and has sworn revenge! But at the same time, he has a noble mission: The Spirits have elected him the Protector of the Avatar, the world's destiny is in his hands!
1. Who Am I?

_Hello and welcome to ''A Flame in the Dark'', my first fanfiction to ''Avatar - The Last Airbender''._

 _Some information regarding this story: I already have completed this story in German, if you want to read it, check the German fanfiction website, you should find it pretty easy. Since the German version was quite successful, I decided to translate into English, because why not? I'm pretty sure all you English speakers/readers out there will like it as much as my German audience did._

 _The story will have 50 chapters, this first chapter can be seen as an introduction in which my OC/his background is explained, but there are already some parts which are plot-relevant later on._

 _Well then, I hope you will enjoy this story, if you want, leave a review with your opinion and/or questions._

 _With that said: Have fun reading._

''You can kill us, but you will never win!'' A whirring. A scream. A thud on wood.

The memory of the worst day of my life has manifested itself in my head forever. I see those horrifying pictures in my mind again and again. They're coming for me, attack me, try to devour me, try to break me. But my soul is strong! I will not let them break me! Every time I drive the dark thoughts away, I become stronger!

I need the strength! It's my biggest support for the task destiny has assigned me, a task I am committed to fulfill until my death. It's the will of the Spirits. They have put this duty on me and their actions are to be followed.

Almost 4 years have passed since that fateful black day and I'm not what I was back then anymore. I've recreated myself, my strength, my wisdom, my determination, I have reached complete control over all these things with the help of my master.

My past does not actually give away what I became. My birth was a normal event, 82 years had passed since the appearance of the Great Comet, when I arrived in this world. For 82 years, my country was in this pointless war it had started itself. The world was slowly falling apart, nobody believed that the war would ever end. Despite the misery that had struck the world, for the time being I never actually witnessed anything of it. My parents did their best to make the childhoods of me, my two sisters and my brother a pretty careless time. This would work for many years, my life was happy and comfortable. But in the tenth year of my life, I first experienced that change is a big part of life and will always play a part in it.

I was playing in the woods right outside my hometown's walls when I discovered something right underneath a tree. It was roundish in shape, colored black as the night and felt polished like a temple's pillars. First I thought of it as a special stone, but when I held it against the sun's light, I discovered that a little something, an animal, was inside. I was not able to tell what kind of animal it was, but I definitely realized that I was holding an egg. Since I didn't know if it was dangerous, I decided to not take it home with me, but instead to hide it in a cave I discovered a short time ago. After that, I searched for a scroll about animals in your house's library and therefore found out that I had found an actual dragon egg, even though dragons were classified as extinct for a very long time now. I decided not to tell anyone about my find and watch over the egg until the dragon would hatch. Some people surely would call me crazy staying this close to a mostly unknown and possibly dangerous creature, but I had read that young dragons were tamable, even by humans. From this day on, I visited the cave every day until the dragon finally hatched after three weeks. It was pitch black, had little grey horns and poison green eyes. I had informed myself extensively about a dragon's eating habits in its different growing phases, so I fed the little dragon, who ate directly from my hand. This was routine for quite some time, the dragon grew steadily and started to become too big for the cave. Over the time, I had informed myself over my dragon's nature and discovered two special powers it possessed apparently: Adaption to the environment to disguise itself and the ability to communicate with its tamer on a mental level. My dragon started talking to me and asked for permission to leave the cave, he wanted to fly. I granted him the wish under the condition that there would only be disguised flights, I wanted nobody in the town to see him. Mostly all day, the dragon flew over in circles over the forest, returning to his cave for sleeping only. I decided to give my dragon the name Pagan. One day, Pagan encouraged me to try and ride on him. I tried and after some difficulties to keep myself on his scaly back, I turned into an actual dragon rider.

Despite this new experience, my life stayed pretty comfortable. However, this changed four years later. I was spending time in town with one of my friends, but when I returned home, both my parents and my siblings had disappeared. Just when I wanted to start searching, I saw the people exiting their houses and walking towards the market place. I melted into the crowd and reached the market place. But what I had to witness there froze the blood in my veins to solid ice: The crowd stood right in front of a big wooden pedestal. On this structure, my father, my mother, my sisters and my brother knelt, their hands and feet bound. I tried to scream, but no sound erupted from my throat when I saw who stood on the back of the pedestal: It was Fire Lord Ozai himself, a sword in hand. He stepped forward and spoke. My family's crimes were revealed and there is only one sentence for high-treason: Death! My father shouted at the Fire Lord, but he showed no signs of remorse and cut of my father's head with one strong blow. My mother screamed when my father's head hit the wooden ground. Only a few moments later, my mother's head followed, then the one's of my sisters. I tried to reach the pedestal as fast as I could, but too late: With a diabolical grin on his face, the Fire Lord also cut of my brother's head. Just when the headless corpse of my brother fell to the ground, I reached the pedestal. The Fire Lord looked down, right into my eyes. An incredible rage filled my body when I saw the endless evil in the monarch's eyes. I screamed as loud as I could:

''You will pay for this! One day, I will find you and then slice your throat!''

Apparently, the Fire Lord realized that I was also a part of the family he just executed, he ordered his soldiers to kill me. But my skill and speed helped me to evade the soldier's spears and disappear into the crowd. I reached my home without any pursuers and started crying, for a very long time. I had lost my entire family in the span of a few minutes, they were dead, would never return, I was completely alone now. At this moment, I swore to myself: One day, I would kill the Fire Lord for the murders of my family! That's when I remembered my father's last words. What exactly did he mean? I went into his study and found a conspicuous scroll placed on the table, it bore an unknown seal. I opened the scroll and started reading, but what I read was impressive: In this scroll, my father revealed his membership in a mysterious order which followed a special goal: To end the war and the restoration of peace in the world! Apparently, this order already existed for several thousand years and always acted from the hidden. My father addressed all of his children in the scroll, whoever read this should take his place in the order and continue our family's task. On the back of the scroll, there was a map showing the way to an old monastery in the mountains, the order's headquarters. I absorbed the scroll's content and realized: I had to follow my father's last wish and join this order, it was my destiny!

Sometime later, I packed the few things I still had and made my way to Pagan's cave in the forest. I told him what happened to my family and what would happen with us now. He replied that no matter what would happen, he would stay by my side, as a dragon never leaves his master! I told him the location of the monastery and started our journey. A few day later, we had found the monastery at last. It was an ancient complex with multiple buildings which looked as if they were carved right into the mountain itself. I stepped in front of the large gate, but before I could knock, it opened on its own. I stepped in, walked across the big courtyard right towards the apparent main building. When I stepped in, multiple old monks wearing long white robes welcomed me. They said they knew who I was and the reason I was here. They explained many things to me and accepted me into the order as a novice. I had many things to learn, they said and assigned me a master called Kyzel the Old to teach me. He was an old man with a long white beard, but apparently was the best teacher the order had. And so my training began. During the following months and years I learned everything I know today. One day the grand masters tested me and finally proclaimed me a master. I now had the privilege of knowing the order's codex, as every master had to follow it: The main goal of the order was, as I already knew, the preservation of the peace in the world. But there was a second big goal I didn't know about so far: Since its founding, the order had the mission to protect the Avatar, who they saw as the greatest peace keeper. After a new Avatar appeared in the world, the order elected one member to become the Protector of the Avatar. The grand masters had seen in their visions, that the war was about to experience some drastic changes which could be connected with the appearance of the new Avatar. They had waited for the word of the Spirits and then finally elected the Protector. Their election fell on me! Of course I was surprised, but I accepted the honor without questions, as you don't question the word of the Spirits. I now had a mission which would characterize my life. From this day on, I waited for the day my mission would begin.

The wait is finally over! The big day is here! The Avatar has returned! My task is now to find the Avatar and protect him or her during his or her mission to give the world back its peace!

But still, I will never forget my main goal in life: I will find and kill the Fire Lord and all his subordinates, it's the only way for me and my family to find the peace we deserve!

The revenge fills me, it's everywhere in my body, it shapes my actions, it won't calm down until I will have let it out!

The honor, it surrounds me, it controls me and keeps the revenge down. I possibly hold the most important mission in the history of this world in my hands, I will succeed of die!

Even through the darkest days and nights, my flame burns, always!

I walk in the shadows to bring light to the world!

My name is Yulizan!

I am an Assassin!

 **Next chapter: The adventure begins**


	2. Departure

I was in a state of deepest meditation when it happened. With my eyes closed, I knelt on my blanket right in front of the great sigil inside of the monastery's temple, my hands resting on my thighs when I felt it. Suddenly, the stone floor started to vibrate, followed by a noticeable hum- and then whistle-sound. I felt the slowly increasing wind in the temple, it filled all corners, rushed between the pillars, the humming became louder. I opened my eyes and saw it: The eyes of the Avatars of Old, which stood to the left and right in little alcoves at the temple's wall, glowed with a bright, almost stinging white light! Immediately, my thoughts shifted to the action: The time has come! The Avatar has returned!

I rose from the blanket, plucked my robe back into place, left the temple and went over to the Great Hall. When I entered it, I saw that the Grand Masters had already taken their usual spots. I stepped through the large room, taking off my hood, which I had pulled up for the small way from the temple to the hall automatically, and finally sank down on my knee, a few meters in front of the Grand Masters pedestal. Lao Zhu, the Old Master, our leader, started speaking:

''Rise, Master Yulizan.''

I did as told. The Old Man continued:

''You know why we came together here today?''

''Indeed I do, Master.'', I replied.

''The day has finally come. The Avatar has returned to this world.''

''Exactly. I think you know what this means for you?''

''Of course, Master. The Spirits chose me to fill the place of the Avatar's Protector.''

''Good, so you know the great honor that rests on you.''

''Yes Master, I'm ready to follow my destiny.''

''I'm sure you will. But now the main reason for our meeting. With the help of the Map of Light, we found out the Avatar's whereabouts.''

''So? Where is he?''

The Old Man called for an adept who carried an ancient looking scroll. He handed it over to the old master who unfolded it on the table in front of him and the other Grand Masters. It was a map of the world with many little white markers. Of course I knew that this was the Map of Light, a gift the Spirits made the Order millennia ago. It showed the exact place where the Avatar first stepped foot in this world. The most prominent marker was pretty close to the Southern Water Tribe, where the Air Nomad symbol glowed especially bright.

I looked up from the map and said:

''So the Avatar is at the Southern Water Tribe. And he's an air bender. But how is that possible? The Air Nomads were completely eradicated by the Fire Nation a century ago.''

''At this moment, we have no real explanation for it either.'', the Old Man said with a serious look on his face.

''But it doesn't matter how an air bender managed to survive, he's the new Avatar and therefore he will play a pivotal role in this war. In our visions, we already have seen that the war is about to experience some major turns of events and that you, Master Yulizan, will also be a part of this.''

''I know the visions, Master, but I won't do anything but follow our codex and my mission.''

''That's praiseworthy, young master. But I think you should lose as little time as possible and start your journey to the Southern Water Tribe, the Avatar could already be in danger without our knowledge.''

''Of course Master, I will equip myself and then head out immediately.''

''May you walk in the shadows, Yulizan.''

I made a quick bow and then left the Hall. I returned to my quarters in the eastern tower to prepare my equipment: I was already wearing my white master assassin robe which was decorated with red and gold cloth pieces. Attached to the robe were both my extendable wrist blades, every assassin's signature weapon. I went over to my wardrobe, opened it and looked at my weapons proudly: two katanas made from the finest steel, the handles were decorated with both my family's and the order's sigils. My black ebony wood bow, together with the leather quiver which held many different types of arrows. My little crossbow, together with many kinds of bolts. Two extra daggers. A belt with throwing knives. And finally a small leather bag carrying many phials with all kinds of different mixtures. I equipped everything and checked if it restricted my movements.

After that, I practiced my bending abilities for a short moment. I create a small white fire in my right and a tiny purple lightning in my left hand. This type of fire bending had been discovered by the order's founders, the secret was only taught within the order. White fire was the hottest form of the common flame and the only one without an origin in the sun. Purple lightning had a higher charge than common white lightning, they usually only appeared during thunderstorms with strong rainfall. After long and hard studies and training, the Old Masters had managed to control and later create those fires themselves. The training to learn those types of fire bending was very hard, but after some hellish pain, which cause many wounds and scars on my body, I had mastered the art.

Satisfied that everything was working properly, I left my room and the tower and stepped out to the large courtyard. I looked up to the sky, put two fingers in my mouth and let out a sharp loud whistle. Only seconds later I noticed the well known silhouette above me, he landed right next to me. I stroked his scaly head, he enjoyed it and said:

''Hello my friend, what's the matter?''

''The day has finally come Pagan! My mission begins! The Avatar has returned.''

''Oh! Great things lay ahead of you, I can feel it.''

''I know, my friend, I'm pretty sure it will bring me to my limits, but I have to succeed, the Spirits demand it!''

''And where exactly is the Avatar?''

''At the Southern Water Tribe. I will sense it when we're close to his exact location. I think you should prepare yourself for the cold down in the south.''

I had to grin over my last sentence. Pagan slightly nudged me with his snout:

''Dragons need to be prepared for everything. I'm sure some cold weather won't affect me at all.''

''Alright, my friend. But now, let me up, we need to go!''

Pagan lowered his head and neck to allow me to mount him. I took my usual place right between his horns. I knocked my right foot against his scaly skin and he rose to the sky, immediately turning south. We had a longer journey ahead of us, but at its end, I would finally be able to begin the mission which would now shape my life. I felt a little excitement, but it was soon replaced by determination. I was ready, willing and able to protect the Avatar. With his abilities, the war was in for some pretty drastic changes in the close future, which would allow me to get closer to my main goal. I reached into my robe and took out my mother's medallion, which I had found in our house before I had left. I held it tight, closed my eyes and thought of them all. In my mind I said:

''Don't worry, soon you will be able to rest in peace, I promise!''

Pagan turned his head and looked at me with his poison green eyes. I smiled, the signal for him to continue his flight the exact way as already. He pulled up his arms and legs and increased his speed. With the speed of a cannonball, we made our way towards the Southern Water Tribe.

 **Next chapter: In the middle of the cold**


	3. The Southern Water Tribe

After about half a day we slowly started to reach the icy regions of the southern world. Below us was nothing but water with many icebergs in it, the air started to become chilly, small clouds of steam erupted from our mouths and noses with every breath. I pulled my hood into my face even deeper to stop the cold wind hitting my eyes. Hoarfrost started to appear on the tips of Pagan's horns.

''Definitely not my favorite climate'', I mumbled while my teeth were chattering.

Pagan replied: ''Mine certainly not too! But what can we do about it?''

''You're right, we'll probably get used to it sooner or later.''

Suddenly, I felt something. I closed my eyes and saw it in my mind: A ball round iceberg, a boy, a bright beam of light! We had to be close. I told Pagan:

''We're close to our destination. Look for a ball shaped iceberg or something similar.''

Pagan immediately followed my view downwards. A few minutes later, I saw it. I tapped Pagan on the head and pointed my finger downwards.

''There! That has to be it!''

Pagan had seen it too, lowered his flight and finally landed on the large ice surface. He had to stick his claws into the ice as deep as possible or we would have slipped into the water. When we finally stopped, I jumped down from the dragon's neck and looked at our find: We were on a big ice floe which had a significant feature right in front of me: A giant split ball made of thick ice. I stepped forward and examined the right half's edge. It was pretty sharp, whatever caused the split hadn't happened that long ago. I searched for any other clues on the rest of the floe and eventually found something: In the middle of the split ball, there was something brown. I bent down and picked it up. I looked carefully at my find: It was hair, most likely animal fur. I grinded it between my fingers. It was very smooth while the tips looked crumpled. There was only one kind of animal with this kind of fur: A sky bison, a typical Air Nomad animal. Now it was clear: This had been the Avatar's, an air bender's hideout. I returned to Pagan and said:

''This is the place! The Avatar was most likely trapped inside this iceberg!''

''But where is he now?''

''I don't know yet, but in a couple minutes, I will! Could you please stay quiet for the time being?'' Pagan withdrew.

I knelt down in the snow, took a handful of snow and let it run through my fingers. Then I closed my eyes and focused all my thoughts to this place right here. I saw it right in front of me: Two members of the Water Tribe, a girl and a boy, a second boy without any hair, a giant animal, a small village consisting of some huts and...a great obscure mass of dark energy moving towards this place. So that's what happened, the Avatar was most likely in that village. But what was that dark energy? I'll probably would find out, if they planned to hurt the Avatar even the slightest, I would send them into eternal suffering in the dark part of the Spirit World! I stood up again, went over to Pagan, who had remained quiet the entire time and told him:

''I know where we need to go. Just look for a small village. Come on, there's no time to lose!'' I jumped onto Pagan's neck and we continued the flight.

We found the village after only a few minutes. Pagan landed in safe distance, atop a hill which was a perfect vantage point, as you could see the whole area without being seen by the inhabitants of the village. I squatted down on the hill's summit and started observing the village. Pagan appeared next to me soon after and asked:

''So you're sure he's down there?''

''Pretty sure, all clues lead to it. However, I really want to know what exactly that dark energy is.''

Pagan said: ''Well, during your meditation, I spotted something that looked like a large ship in the distance on the water. Maybe that's it.''

''That's a possibility. But then the question is: What is a large ship doing in such a calm area?''

Pagan didn't know an answer for that, but he wouldn't have been able to tell me anyway, because something was happening in the village right now. Three people emerged from one of the huts: A young man with a short ponytail, clad in a blue robe, a girl, also wearing blue clothes and a conspicuous bald boy wearing yellow and red robes while also having blue tattoos on his head. That had to be him! The Avatar! I actually found him!

But I wasn't able to plan my next step, because I saw a giant black ship heading directly for the village's coast. I rose and looked at what happened. Shortly after, the ship stopped. A gate opened in the front, some masked Fire Nation soldiers stepped out first, followed by someone whose face I knew very well, even though I never actually saw him personally. But the long ponytail and of course the enormous red scar on the left side of his face made it more than obvious: Prince Zuko himself, the Fire Lord's son, stood down there in the Water Tribe village. I felt the anger starting to rise in my body, but I was able to control it very quickly. What was the Fire Nation prince doing in such a secluded area of the world? All I knew was that the Fire Lord dishonored and banished his son once, but that was no reason for him to be here. I had been in my mind so deep, I almost didn't notice that the Avatar had confronted the prince. Immediately, my focus wandered back to the village, which was now illuminated in bright yellow light as Prince Zuko had started to throw fire balls at the Avatar, but he was able to block them. I was tempted just to run down and help the Avatar, but my good sense held me back. Shortly later, the Avatar dropped his staff, apparently, he had surrendered himself to the prince.

''What is he doing?'', I asked myself.

The Avatar was bound and lead into the ship. The gate closed and the ship returned the same way it had arrived.

I rushed back to Pagan, jumped onto his neck und said: ''Go! After them! We have to help the Avatar!''

Pagan shot up into the air lightning fast and started to chase the ship. Even though we were flying pretty fast already, I noticed that we weren't alone in the sky. The Avatar's sky bison was flying beneath us, the boy and the girl from the village on his back.

''Are they trying to reach the ship too?''

''We're going to find out!'', Pagan said while his eye color changed from green to blue, the signal he had activated his camouflage.

We reached the ship pretty fast, but before I was able to jump down onto the deck to mix up the soldiers, I saw the Avatar running on the deck, Prince Zuko in close pursuit. He was randomly throwing fires at the Avatar and managed to corner him at the edge of the ship. The Avatar wanted to raise his staff when another attack of the prince threw him over the railing, right into the icy water! My eyes and mouth shot open, the Avatar was in danger! There was no way I could fail my mission this quick, I readied up to jump into the water myself to help the boy, but then, something breathtaking happened: The Avatar rose from the sea, surrounded by a column of water! His eyes and the arrow-shaped tattoo on his head glowed as bright as the markers on the Map of Light did. That had to be it: The legendary Avatar State! He threw large fountains of water right at the soldiers on the ship and managed to hurl most of them overboard. Shortly after, the glowing stopped and the Avatar sank down into the Water Tribe girl's arms unconscious. Together with the boy, she hoisted him onto the bison's back and they flew away. I gave Pagan the signal to follow then, he obliged immediately.

After we had moved away far enough from the Southern Water Tribe, the bison slowed down its flight, Pagan did the same. I told him:

''Now there's no doubt! That boy is the Avatar!''

''And what exactly are you planning to do now?''

''Well, apparently he and those two from the Water Tribe are pretty decent fighters on their own. I think we will follow them inconspicuously for the time being, observe their actions and where they're going. When the time is right, I will reveal myself to them.''

''Sounds good, and what exactly are we doing next?''

''We follow the bison and look where they are going next. Then we'll see.''

Pagan was satisfied with that and continued to follow the bison through the evening sky.

 **Next chapter: Following the Avatar**


	4. Criss-Cross Chase

Without exactly knowing where they were going, we followed the Avatar and his two companions the whole night. I would have been able sleep without any problems, as Pagan would have been able to follow the bison on his own, but the constant tension never actually let me become tired.

In the early morning hours, I finally spotted our flight's apparent destination: We had reached rugged mountains with one particularly high mountain holding a massive building complex: The Southern Air Temple!

''Ah! The Avatar most likely hails from here.'', I said quietly to myself.

But how was that possible? All Air Nomad were killed by the Fire Nation at the beginning of the war. Unless... I had a strange suspicion. I told Pagan:

''You know what I'm thinking my friend? I think the Avatar was trapped inside that iceberg for many years.''

''But how is he alive then? Would he not be starved or suffocated?''

''Don't forget: He's an air bender, he most likely used some kind of special bending technique to keep himself alive artificially. That's the only explanation I have so far. But I think we will find out sooner or later.''

In the meantime, the Avatar's bison had landed in the temple's courtyard. I instructed Pagan not to follow them, but instead to land on another mountain close by for a good view over the whole area. The dragon followed my order and soon landed on the flat, grass-covered summit of one of the mountains surrounding the temple. I dismounted him, went over to the summit's edge and sat down with my legs hanging over the edge into the air. Pagan laid down himself and rolled up close. From my travel bag, I took a small loaf of bread and a bigger piece of meat which I cut in two using one of my daggers. I gave one half to Pagan, who devoured it with one gulp. I cut out some pieces from the bread for myself and ate them together with my half of the meat. And so we sat there on the mountain, waiting.

Nothing happened for quite some time, but then, I suddenly felt a strong stinging pain in my left hand. It was so bad that I had to clench my teeth to keep myself from screaming.

Pagan noticed something was wrong and asked: ''What's the matter, my friend?''

I wasn't able to answer him in the first moment, but I could already guess what was the cause of the pain. I turned my hand and saw what I thought: The little tattoo on my ring finger that was shaped like the Assassin Order sigil which I had received during my designation as master in a special ceremony was glowing in bright red! Of course I knew the meaning behind that: The Avatar cycle was active again! Something down there in the temple must have caused the Avatar's first willingly Avatar State, restarting the cycle at last! Even though the pain stayed, I looked down at the temple and saw the confirmation of my thoughts: Bright light was coming out from one of the windows. Shortly after, the light stopped again, same for the pain in my hand. I poured some water over my finger to dampen the pain even further.

Sometime later, the Avatar and his companions exited the temple again. I took my telescope from my bag to see what they were planning next. I only noticed one difference: On the Avatar's shoulder, there was a little animal, from the looks of it, it was a winged lemur, another Air Nomad animal. After the bison rose back into the air shortly after, Pagan and I continued our flight as well, always following the Avatar and his companions.

We finally seemed to leave the southern regions of the world, coming closer to the Earth Kingdom. While I've never been in the world's largest country personally, I read and heard many interesting things about it of course.

After another day, I spotted the Avatar's next destination: From the middle of the ocean rose Kyoshi Island, an island created by the Avatar of the same name a few hundred years ago. But still I didn't understand what exactly the Avatar was planning. From the Old Masters' stories I learned that the Avatar has one main goal: Mastering all four elements. And I was pretty sure this young Air Nomad had not done that yet. But if he wasn't able to bend all elements, why wasn't he searching for someone to teach him? Many questions circulated in my mind, but I was sure that would be answered sooner or later.

I told Pagan that this time, we would stay in the air, I didn't want to risk us being discovered by the island's inhabitants, especially because Pagan's camouflage wasn't working as good on the ground as it was in the air. Therefore, camouflaged from any suspicious views, we circled over the bay the bison had landed in.

''What are you planning, boy?'', I thought to myself when I saw the Avatar getting rid of most of his clothes and jumping into the water.

Only seconds later, I got my answer: The young air bender was riding on a giant koi carp. Even though I would have classified this as a pretty dangerous situation in most cases, I decided not to intervene, since the Avatar actually made a pretty safe impression.

However, that changed abruptly a few minutes later! After the Avatar had returned to the shore safely, he and his companions were ambushed by some people wearing green robes and face paint. That was the sign for me! I signaled Pagan to fly as low as possible over the island, he obeyed immediately. When he rushed over a couple of tree crowns, I readied up and jumped off!

Safe and silent, I landed in a treetop, pulling my hood deep into my face. Skillfully, I reached for my bow and an iron arrow before sliding in between two boughs from where I was able to overview the whole scene. The Avatar and his companions were completely surrounded by their attackers. I tried to take a closer look at them: All of them were wearing loose green robes with armor plates, as I had already seen. The faces were painted white, with red and black markings around the eyes. On the head, all of them were wearing a crown-like headband with carvings and to my amazement, all of them wielded fans as weapons. That's when I realized: The people's look was inspired by Avatar Kyoshi, they were the relatively well known Warriors of Kyoshi, an order founded by Avatar Kyoshi herself to protect this island. But why were those peace keepers attacking the Avatar? I was tempted to finally reveal myself to the Avatar to protect him, but soon after, the warriors put their fans away and lead the Avatar and his companions away. Even though the danger seemed banned, I still wanted to send a message! I nocked the arrow, aimed right for a tree next to one of the warriors and shot! The arrow whistled through the air, knocked through the tree's bark and got stuck there. I pressed myself against my own tree but still kept my view over the scene. The whole group had turned, the apparent leader of the Warriors of Kyoshi send two of the girls to investigate, most likely where the shot came from. I realized I had to react and get out of here as fast as possible. I climbed back up into the tree's crown until I had the clear sky over my head again. But how should I call Pagan? A whistle would probably blow my cover. Gladly, I didn't have to think for long, as I saw the familiar shadow over me only a few seconds later. Pagan broke his camouflage for a short moment allowing me to mount him without a problem and then returned to his original height.

He asked: ''And? Did you find out something?''

''Yes, the people I saw were Warriors of Kyoshi. They should not be of any danger, even though they cornered the Avatar for a moment. I gave them a warning shot with my bow to show them what would have happened had they really attacked.''

''But wasn't that a little risky? You could have been spotted!''

''You have to take some risks, my friend, if you stay careful, you most likely miss important chances.''

We circled over the village the warriors had lead the Avatar's group into for the rest of the day. However, nothing conspicuous happened, except for the fact that the Avatar's male companion was apparently very interested in the Warriors of Kyoshi, even going so far as to wear one of their armors to be trained using the fan by the warriors' apparent leader.

The next day was pretty hot, literally: Fire Nation soldiers attacked the island! Pagan and I had already discovered the ships early in the morning, after that, Pagan had dropped me off on the island once again. Just like yesterday, I was sitting in a tree, ready to ambush the approaching Fire Nation patrols. I didn't have to wait long for the vanguard to appear. It was a small group, only five soldiers, all wearing the distinctive armor with masks and armed with spears. I decided to operate some psychological warfare to unsettle the following troops. I reached into my potion bag and took out a small phial filled with a dark green liquid. I waited for the soldiers to come closer to my tree and then threw the phial to the ground. It broke with a little crack sound, but the effect was enormous: From the forest ground, multiple thorny tendrils shot up and launched themselves onto the soldiers, subduing them without any problems. They drilled through their bodies, crushed them or even pulled them back into the ground. After two minutes, it was all over and I looked at my work with satisfaction. As there were no other patrols in sight so far, I felt safe enough to let out a small whistle, sitting on Pagan's neck again a few moments later. From the sky, we looked at the Avatar and the Warriors of Kyoshi handling the rest, driving the soldiers out from the island again.

Shortly after, the Avatar and his friends said goodbye to the island's inhabitants and continued their journey. Pagan and I followed them, always deeper into the Earth Kingdom's heart. Maybe there would be a chance for me to reveal myself to the Avatar soon, even though my work as a silent observer was going well. But one day, I really had to try to accompany the Avatar personally and completely legitimate. It was all a question of time and circumstances.

 **Next chapter: The first of many**


	5. It Begins

We followed the Avatar's group through the Earth Kingdom. Slowly but surely I began to doubt if this secret chase still made sense. Once I had revealed myself to the Avatar, I would be able to make his mission clear for him fairly easy. But continuing to follow a boy, who probably didn't even realized the importance of his destiny, without any kind of plan? That definitely wasn't something I planned to do for a longer period of time.

The next day, the Avatar and his companions headed straight for their next destination, and it was a big one! In the middle of sandy, rocky mountains on a single mountain rose the giant city of Omashu! I had read much about this legendary pyramid-shaped city and its history, but seeing it in all its greatness with my very own eyes was a whole new experience! Ruling over this small city-state was, as I knew of course, the old king Bumi, a ruler described as very eccentric, but also very honest. The city had been peaceful over the last years, thanks to the king. I was pretty sure, if the Avatar and his friends planned to stay in the city for a little while, there would be no harm. When I watched them from the sky entering the city without any problems, I was completely convinced.

Convinced enough to make a decision. I told Pagan: ''You know what, my friend? I think the Avatar is safe for now. I think we can take a day off. What do you think?''

Pagan blew out a small cloud of fire from his nose in approval, I rubbed his head in response.

''Just fly over the country for a little while, I'm sure we'll find a nice place.''

Pagan rushed off, away from Omashu. Shortly after, we flew over a big forest, a lake on its edge. I pointed it out to Pagan, who initiated his landing immediately, slowly descending onto a sandbank. I jumped off him and looked around: Behind was the forest, followed by a large grassy area which eventually merged into sand and finally the crystal clear water of the lake.

I took a deep breath, the fresh forest and lake air felt very pleasant in my lungs. I decided that we would stay here for the rest of the day. Pagan was also happy with that, especially after I told him he could fly around everywhere if he would stay camouflaged over inhabited areas and would only hunt wild animals. He promised me nothing bad would happen, but I stayed skeptical, even after his departure. In the past, it had happened many times that Pagan dropped back into his basic instinct, resulting in him killing and eating every animal walking in front of his snout. Unfortunately, sometimes those included pigs or other farm animals, something I couldn't tolerate! I raised him all by myself, I trained him like a pet and a pet should become a wild animal. Even though Pagan had already reached his full size, for a dragon, he was still fairly young, the oldest dragons had reached ages of many human centuries, Pagan was only eight in human years, for a dragon, that was still childhood, but despite that, he was already very strong and ready for battle, even though he wasn't able to show this until now, but I was sure, that day would come eventually.

I unfastened my meditation mat from my belt and unfolded it on the sand. After that, I took off all my weapons and clothing, put it down next to the mat and finally walked slowly into the lake. Most people think that fire benders can't swim, but that was false. At least I was able to swim, it had been part of my training actually. An assassin always needed to be mobile, overcome every obstacle, from a wall to a body of water like a river or lake, we were able to reach every place! After the water's cold slightly shocked me at first, I got used to it pretty fast and started swimming. My powerful body glided through the blue waves, I gave it my all and became faster over the time. After about half an hour of constant swimming, I floating on my back in the middle of sea looking at the sky and the clouds, exhausted. It was a really nice world we lived in actually, why did it had to be destroyed by such a pointless bloodshed? I turned my thoughts to something different, otherwise I possibly would have heated up my mind and therefore also the water around me. I swam back to the shore, laid down on my mat and fell asleep contently soon after.

The next morning, I woke up to warm air blowing into my face. I opened my sleepy eyes and saw Pagan's head only a few meters away from my body. I sat up and said:

''Good morning, my friend. So, did you use your time well yesterday?''

Pagan nodded and replied: ''Yes, I found a big herd of dog antelopes and saturated myself. But something way more important: Shortly after dawn, I flew past Omashu again and saw the Avatar's bison taking off. The Avatar must have left Omashu again.''

I was on my feet lightning fast, jumped into my robe, threw over my weapons and mounted Pagan.

''What are we waiting for? Come on, we have to catch them!''

I didn't had to tell Pagan twice, only seconds later we had left the lake and the forest behind and followed the Avatar with maximum speed.

Only a bit later we had reached them again and the game continued. In the afternoon, the three travelers built camp once more, meaning another break for Pagan and me too.

The Avatar and the girl from the Water Tribe separated from their third member shortly after, walking through the forest the camp was in. I instructed Pagan to stay where he was, but always be ready in case I called him. I climbed the nearest tree and followed the two by jumping from tree to tree without them hearing or seeing me. After a few minutes we discovered someone: A young man, about one or two years younger than myself, wearing Earth Kingdom typical clothing, so most likely an earth bender. This theory proved to be true only seconds later when he started moving rocks through the air. I climbed up one bough, I didn't want to risk some stray rock to hit me and possibly blow my cover. The Water Tribe girl took initiative in the meantime and walked up to the earth bender, but he suddenly looked scared and ran away. I listened to the Avatar's words, he said that he wanted to follow the young man.

''And what exactly are you hoping to achieve?'', I asked myself in my thoughts while following the two.

After a while we arrived at a village, which on first looked seemed like any other, with the big difference however that there were Fire Nation soldiers swarming everywhere! I had the feeling that there were more soldiers than inhabitants in this village. The Avatar and the girl had followed the young man into a building, I jumped onto the roof unseen. I heard voices from within, but from my current position, it was impossible to understand actual words. An idea came to my mind: I put my hand on one of the roofing tiles and heated it up. After a good minute, I was able to remove it and laid my head onto the exposed wooden roof. I heard the words ''earth bender'', ''prison'' and ''father''. I tried to built a plausible connection between those words, after a few minutes, I had my version of the events they talked about: The Fire Nation soldiers apparently arrested all earth benders from this village and then took them into a prison, with the young man's father being one of them. The Avatar and his female companion left the building and the village shortly after, returning to their camp, I did the same.

The next morning, I woke up relatively late, but once I was up, Pagan rushed over.

''Hold on! Not so fast, my friend. What is it?''

Pagan told me that the young earth bender had been arrested last night and that the Water Tribe girl disguised herself as an earth bender to be taken into prison herself to save the young man. The prison was apparently offshore. Even though my primary mission was to protect the Avatar, I had a feeling that I should help the girl, my mind told me she was important and I simply couldn't ignore such a thought.

Pagan flew to the prison. It was a giant complex completely crafted from metal, most likely to prevent the earth benders from using their powers. In the big courtyard where all the prisoners were held, I discovered the girl, together with the young earth bender and an older man, most likely his father. Soon after, the girl stood upon a small platform and started talking. Because of the distance, I wasn't able to understand her, but she most likely tried to encourage the prisoners. But this didn't work, as most of the prisoners turned around and walked off. Pagan flew over to another part of the prison, he wanted to show me the reason for all the suffering happening here. We flew to the great tower and looked at the highest floor. I discovered him immediately: The evil in his eyes, the diabolical grin, the way he stood. All evidence for a pure sadist, this man pleased himself seeing others suffer.

''Who is he?'', I asked, with a little anger in my voice already.

''The prison's high overseer. He has command authority over everyone and everything here. Sometimes, he punishes and tortures prisoners just for his own fun.''

Pagan's last sentence sent me over the edge! This man stood for everything the Fire Nation displayed in this war, the pure disdain of humanity. My goal was clear now: I would kill this man and give the prisoners back their freedom. But the Avatar still should not identify me, but I had a plan for that.

The next day, the situation escalated quicker and worse than I imagined. The Avatar and the Water Tribe boy were in the prison now too and had collected a large amount of coal, the Avatar had sent it to the courtyard over the ventilation system. The girl took initiative again and told the earth benders to fight back, with the coal they weren't powerless anymore, but they simply looked like they didn't want. Camouflaged, Pagan flew over the courtyard as close as possible, I was able to hear the talking. The overseer laughed and told the girl with an almost devil-like voice:

''What exactly did you expect? Those animals' wills got broken a long time ago, there's nothing to save here anymore! You will all die in here, you hear me? Die!''

That was my moment. I pulled my hood into my face as deep as possible and also reached for the red scarf I had in my collar. I pulled it over my mouth and nose, with only my blue eyes still visible. That's how I wanted to make sure the Avatar wouldn't identify me. I gave Pagan the signal to fly back a little bit, to a small pedestal that stood a little away from the crowd but still was fully visible. I took a deep breath and jumped off the dragon's neck!

A few seconds later, I landed on the pedestal in a squat, my left hand on the pedestal between my boots, my right hand stretched out to the side. Everyone in the whole courtyard had turned their heads towards me when I landed. With shock in his eyes, the overseer stared at me as if he was seeing a ghost. He shouted:

''Who are you? What are you doing here?''

I said nothing, I simply stood up and showed my full size. When the overseer saw all my weapons, he apparently recognized the danger, but it was too late! I already had grabbed my bow, nocked a steel arrow with a jagged head and shot! Before the overseer even had time to react, the arrow hit him right into his right eye, piercing through his head until it reappeared at the back of his head. Blood splashed from the overseer's head when he fell backwards, groaned twice and finally went numb. Both the prison guards and the prisoners looked at the overseers dead body in shock, but then everything happened fast. The earth benders found their confidence again and started using the coal against the guards. I watched the whole spectacle from my spot. When all the guards were defeated, all the prisoners turned back to me, mainly the Water Tribe girl and the young earth bender. I looked back, raised my hand and created a fiery Assassin Order sigil in front of me. While the prisoners looked at it in astonishment, I went over to the side of the courtyard, where Pagan was waiting, floating over the water surface. We flew away on a safe distance, Pagan asked:

''Was that it? You finally revealed yourself to the Avatar?''

I pulled the scarf off my face and replied: ''No, first the Avatar wasn't even there and second no one else should identify me, this wasn't the right moment.''

''So, what do we do now?''

''I just performed the first assassination of my crusade, I have to meditate over that. Back to the monastery!''

''And what about the Avatar?''

''While I'm in the monastery, you can fly around freely and keep an eye on the Avatar. If anything suspicious and dangerous happens to him, you immediately come back and get me.''

''All right, I will do that.''

After a few hours, we returned to our true home. Pagan dropped me in the courtyard and immediately continued his flight. I returned to my room, dropped off the equipment I didn't need, knelt down and started my meditation. I thought about the events since our departure, mostly about the assassination. One more time, I swore to myself: This little insignificant prison overseer only had been the first of many falling victim to my blades and fires. I will find them all, kill them all, it's the will of the Spirits, it's my will, I will give myself, my family and the entire world the peace we deserve!

 **Next chapter: Spectral stuff**


	6. Ghosts Everywhere!

I used the following time mostly for meditating, but also to train my fighting and bending skills and to refresh my knowledge in the monastery's big underground library. Pagan returned to the monastery every evening and reported what he had observed during the day. In a few days was the Winter Solstice, a special day, for me too. The day of the solstice marks the closest distance between the real world and the Spirit World, so close that it was possible to enter the Spirit World. But the Assassins knew a secret we kept hidden as good as possible since we knew that many people would try to abuse this knowledge: The Spirit World was not only the home of nature spirits and other strange beings, but also of the souls of the dead. Theoretically, it was possible to see and even talk to people that already had died, if you actually made it into the Spirit World in one piece. Since I was a master, I had already tried to perform this hard and exhausting ritual two times, since I wanted to see my family again. But every time, my body wasn't able to handle the effort, before I had been able to manifest myself in the Spirit World I always had collapsed and therefore woke up from the meditation. But this time I had a good feeling. I was prepared much better too. It just had to work!

Pagan reported to me that the Avatar and his friends apparently planned to travel to the temple of Avatar Roku in the Fire Nation. I decided not to intervene and started preparing for my meditation.

The day of the solstice finally came! I waited the whole day for the sun to finally start sinking towards the western horizon. I was sitting in Lotus position on my mat in my room, only clad in my cloth pants, eyes closed and all my thoughts and willpower focused on my goal: reaching the Spirit World. The harder I concentrated, the more I felt my soul slowly drifting away. I approached the critical point, I came closer to the Spirit World's gate. The sweat started running across my forehead, my breathing became faster, my finger almost clawed into the flesh of my thighs.

''Now the most important step.'', I said in my mind.

I tried to relax my body, to make it weightless. This was the point I always had failed the previous times, instead of relaxing, my body had always started to cramp up even more which ultimately lead to a circulatory collapse. But not this time. I started to feel an endless lightness around me, it was like I was flying through the sky on a cloud. I powered myself up and eventually managed to open my eyes!

The view was almost breathtaking. I made it! I stood on a clearing in a dense forest. The world around me looked kind of normal, with the difference that everything was tinted in a light blue color. So this was it, the legendary Spirit World. I looked down. I was wearing my robe and all my weapons. I didn't even question this, I was in a completely different world, everything could happen. Since I didn't exactly know where I was, I decided to leave the forest and then look around again.

After I left the forest, my heart almost stopped beating when I saw where I was: I was standing right in front of the walls and the great gate of my home town! I couldn't believe it at first, but then I realized the meaning of this: The Spirits apparently had heard my wish and now wanted to give me the chance to see my family again. I entered the town through the gate. There was nobody to be seen, everything was deserted. While I was wandering through the lonely streets, I noticed that apparently there was no weather in the Spirit World: the sky was blue and clear, not the slightest breath of wind was blowing. Eventually, I reached my destination: The house of my childhood. I entered it and walked into the great hall carefully. I stopped when I felt a little breeze and saw the fog slowly creeping across the whole room's floor. I wasn't sure what would happen, so I took one of my katanas to defend myself against any possible attackers. Since I was a part of the Spirit World during my meditation, I was able to actually attack someone here and would not just swing right through the air.

But no attacker emerged from the fog, it wasn't even just one, but five, five figures started approaching me while slowly taking shape. When they were only a few meters away from me, I recognized them: They were my parents and siblings. My arms lost their power, I dropped the sword, started running and hugged my mother as tight as I could, I never wanted to let go of her. After a few minutes, I eventually did and also hugged my father and my sisters and rubbed my brother's head.

My father said: ''Son, I'm so proud of you! You followed my wish, you're on your best way to give this family back the honor they deserve.''

I replied: ''Thank you father. It's hard, but I'm convinced that I will accomplish it.''

My mother took the word and said: ''Of course you will do it, you're my son, you can do everything.''

I finally started crying and hugged my mother again. But suddenly, the world around us started to shake.

''Oh no! The Spirit World is collapsing, the solstice must be over!''

I wanted to say goodbye to my family when I saw their figures already fading into the distance.

My father shouted: ''Make me proud, my son!'', then they disappeared completely.

I tried to run after them, but for some reason I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground.

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but stone. I turned to my back, saw the antique wood carvings on the ceiling and realized I was back in the real world. I sat up and looked down: My whole torso was sweaty, my dark blonde hair even was sopping wet.

''How long must have I been away?'', I asked myself while standing up and looking for a towel to dry myself up.

While I scrubbed my chest and back, I thought of my travel. It had been nice, very nice. I wished it would have lasted a little longer, but I was sure that I would get the chance to travel to the Spirit World and see my family again eventually.

During the next days, I continued my schedule of training and knowledge collecting, I moved back the meditating a little bit, my soul and my spirit felt fresh and ready for new adventures after my travel into the Spirit World. Pagan also continued his reports day after day. I learned about a water bending scroll, a group of rebels, even though I would classify them as terrorists, because no other word was more fitting for the things Pagan told me about. I even thought about visiting this group, I probably would save a lot of innocent lives with that, but eventually, I decided not to waste my time for that. Pagan also told me that the Avatar managed to reunite two rival groups living in a big canyon. I was happy, apparently, the young air bender finally started to understand his destiny.

A few days later, Pagan arrived at the monastery faster than usual, the signal that something was wrong. Pagan landed in the courtyard hastily and reported with a nervous voice:

''The Avatar has been captured by Admiral Zhao of the Fire Nation!''

I was in the picture immediately. Zhao was a slick fellow who used anything in his power to strengthen his position. I put him on my imaginary list of people I would eliminate a long time ago.

I asked: ''Were his companions not with him?''

''No, the Avatar was cornered by Yuyan Archers while he was in the forest by himself.''

Of course I knew of the Yuyan Archers, the best archers the Fire Nation ever trained. But I was sure, none of them ever encountered an Assassin or his abilities.

''This is going to be a nice game of cat-and-mouse.'', I thought to myself, before I told Pagan: ''Well then, let's go save the Avatar!'' I jumped onto Pagan's neck and we flew away.

Sometime later we reached the prison the Avatar was held in. Pagan landed with sufficient distance, the Yuyan Archers had eyes that were sharper than any cat's, they would have discovered and attacked us immediately. I readied up to infiltrate the fort, signaled Pagan to stay in the air camouflaged, waiting until I had freed the Avatar. Pagan rose into the air, I pulled my hood and my scarf over my face and headed off. While approaching the fort, I thought:

''So this is it, I will reveal myself to the Avatar tonight.''

I thought about how he would react, but I had already reached the fort.

It was a large complex with archers stationed everywhere on the battlements. Definitely to many to neutralize, I realized, so I had to take the hard route: Sneaking through the enemy's lines without alarming anyone. In the forest's shadow I snuck up to a larger tree and climbed it, pressed against the wood as close as possible, I didn't want to make any target for the archers. When I reached the top, I was able to overview the whole complex. The most distinctive features were the courtyard with the large gate and a sole tower in the back area.

''That's where he has to be'', I thought.

But how should I reach that place unseen? On the way that I would have taken in any other situation, there were at least 20 archers waiting around every corner. Normally I wouldn't stand any chance, but then I discovered something: Underneath the over the edge reaching rooftops, there were wooden boards placed in close distance. They were thick enough to hold me without breaking and they were heading directly to the side of the main building that looked towards the tower. I looked at the place on the roof that was the closest to my vantage point. I seemed to be lucky: Only a single archer was standing there right now, most likely because this side of the building was looking towards the forest and the soldiers apparently weren't expecting an infiltration from this side.

''Well, tough luck friends! An Assassin always finds his way.'', I thought.

I grabbed my bow and a thin arrow with a four-spiked head, nocked it and shot. The thin arrow flew through the air silent and fast as a lightning before hitting the archer right into his unprotected neck. I holstered the bow, ran silently across a thick branch and jumped right onto the roof's edge gracefully. I pulled myself up quickly, looked around, grabbed the archer's corpse and dumped it into a dark corner. I pulled the arrow out of his neck, however, the arrowhead got stuck too deep, I had to leave it. I looked for the boards that I had discovered and found them pretty quickly. I jumped, grabbed one of the boards and pulled myself up. Upside down, I climbed along the roof's edge on all fours. I had to stop once and pull myself up into the darkness, when another archer passed right underneath without noticing me. After a few minutes I had reached my destination: From this side of the roof one could easily get into the tower by jumping through a window. I rolled off over my shoulder after the jump to avoid sounds.

''The Avatar is most likely held on the top level.'', I thought and started searching for a staircase, without stepping out of the darkness of course.

Shortly after, I had found the stairs and climbed them while also putting out all the torches that were hanging on the wall to create more darkness.

Finally I reached the top level. I looked around, but nobody was there. I still stayed in the shadows just in case I ran into someone by surprise. After a few more steps I finally found what I've been looking for: A large door.

''This is it! He has to be in here!''

But before I could open the door, my view wandered to the ground where I discovered it: Scattered in the corridor in front of the door were four corpses of Fire Nation soldiers. I looked closer at the corpse right in front of my feet. He had two big cuts on his torso, I knew this pattern, it was similar to my own, he most likely had been attacked by two swords. The size of the wounds told that it most likely had been broadswords, not something thin like my katanas. But who or what had done this? And more important: Why? Well, I would look after this later, now I had to free the Avatar. But just when I wanted to kick the door open, I heard the distinctive sound of an alarm horn from outside of the tower.

''Oh great...'', I said annoyed.

Now it would take all my skills to escape from here alive. But the Avatar would most likely help me. I finally opened the door and immediately froze where I stood: In the middle of the room were two pillars with chains attached to them, but nobody was bound onto those chains! The Avatar was gone! Either escaped or someone else made it here before me. I was angry, but had little time to unleash my anger since I knew that the Avatar could already anywhere. If I hurried, maybe I could catch up with him and his possible liberator. I ran over to one of the tower's windows and looked down. Right underneath the window, there was a large haystack, most likely to feed the soldiers' riding animals. I didn't had to think much, I simply jumped!

I turned around in midair to land backwards in the haystack. To my luck, it was quite dense, I was able to climb out unharmed. I saw that almost all archers were heading towards the main gate, something must have happened there. I ran towards one of the now unguarded walls, climbed it using little ledges and cracks and continued running along the wall's edge. Shortly after I reached the part of the wall that gave me a good view over the area of the main gate, and what an interesting view it was: The Avatar was down in the courtyard fighting some soldiers. On his side, there was a mysterious figure wearing a mask. When it turned around I recognized the mask: It was the Blue Spirit! In contrast to most people, who only saw the Blue Spirit as some kind of bedtime story, I knew exactly what I had right in front of me: The Blue Spirit was the second identity of the legendary Assassin Tao Pai-Zai, a master of the old arts who died about 70 years ago. He had once crafted the mask of the Blue Spirit to spread fear among his enemies just by his looks, eventually paired with his excellent fighting abilities. And now this mysterious stranger adopted a legendary Assassin's identity just like that, I could not let this happen, it hurt the order's honor! I was ready to jump off the wall and throw myself into battle alongside the Avatar when the stranger suddenly pulled his two broadswords and held them right at the Avatar's throat.

When he had pulled the swords, I thought: ''Oh! It was him who killed the guards and freed the Avatar.'', but when he put them at the Avatar's throat, I was shocked!

The Avatar's life was in danger and I wasn't able to do anything. The archers would turn me into a pincushion immediately if you showed my face only a little bit.

The masked stranger kept his swords at the Avatar's throat and started leaving the courtyard through the gate walking backwards. When they were already away a good distance and I wanted to follow them, I heard the whistling sound of a flying arrow and saw it flying from the battlements, hitting the stranger right in the mask, he collapsed immediately. Was he dead? A cloud of dust appeared, most likely created by the Avatar. When the air was clear again, the Avatar and the stranger were gone. I concluded that the stranger was still alive and the Avatar had taken him with him.

Apparently, my task had fulfilled itself on its own, the Avatar was free and well. I returned to the deeper parts of the forest and whistled for Pagan, who picked up me up shortly after.

He asked: ''Were you able to free the Avatar?''

''Yes and no. Yes, he's free again, and no, it wasn't me who freed him.''

''Who was it?''

''A mysterious stranger wearing the mask of the Blue Spirit.''

''The legendary Assassin?''

''Yes, I don't know where he got the mask from, but it definitely wasn't the real one.''

''So what now?''

''Back to the monastery, the task is fulfilled. Then we continue our routine, you can fly your ways and keep an eye on the Avatar while reporting me any incidents.''

Sometime later, we arrived back at the monastery. I laid down on my bed and thought. Who was this stranger? Why was he dressed up as the Blue Spirit? Why did he first liberated the Avatar and then captured him again? Many questions started to pile up in my head. At this moment I made a decision: The next time I would meet the Avatar, I would reveal myself to him, under any circumstances. I couldn't wait any longer, I wanted answers and certainty!

 **Next chapter: A frivolous encounter**


	7. Bounty Hunter Escapades

_(WARNING! Lemons/sexual content in this chapter!)_

I continued my routine over the next days, but also gave in to my hidden passion for distraction: Writing scrolls. Over the course of time, I had written over things that had happened during my travels a few times, for example about certain animals and their weaknesses, which combat tactics were the most useful in certain situations or just some antique knowledge that was neither dangerous nor secret from the Assassins' library. Every day I hoped that Pagan would eventually bring some interesting news, but for many days, the Avatar and his companions just seemed to travel from one place to another without any anomalies. I actually started to become a little impatient.

Then, about one week after the failed rescue mission, Pagan finally brought some interesting news. He landed in the courtyard and said:

''Apparently, Prince Zuko now pulls up heavy calibers to catch the Avatar.''

''Why? What is he doing?''

''He hired a bounty huntress from the Earth Kingdom to track down and capture the Avatar for him.''

''Oh well, that sounds great! I think we should pay this lady a little visit, don't you think?''

Pagan nodded, lowered his head so I was able to mount him and then took off, heading towards the Earth Kingdom.

While still in the air, I asked the dragon: ''Do you know something more accurate about this bounty huntress?''

''Only that she is accompanied by a quite big and strange animal.''

''What kind of animal?''

''I don't know for sure, it looked like a mixture of a mole and a dog.''

''Ah, a shirshu. That means we need to be careful, those things can be quite dangerous.''

''How? I doubt an animal like this would attack a dragon!''

''From the scrolls, all I know is that they produce poisonous saliva that causes paralysis, but that's about it.'' We stayed silent for a while, then Pagan asked:

''You think you will be able to take on this woman? She has to be very good if Prince Zuko turned to her for this job.''

I had to laugh and replied: ''My dear friend, have you ever seen me having problems in any fight?''

Pagan shook his head, followed by me saying: ''See? Have a little more faith in me, by the way, she is a bounty huntress, those people are specialized in capturing people alive, what is she supposed to do against me in an open fight?''

Shortly after, we reached the place Pagan had seen the woman and her animal for the last time. I dismounted him slowly since I didn't know what could be waiting for us.

''And you're sure it was this place?'', I asked while reaching for one of my katanas.

''Of course I'm sure. She was standing right here while her animal was sniffing the ground.''

''Most likely to catch some kind of scent...''

I was actually sure that we wouldn't find anything here, when suddenly a whip shot from out of nowhere, wrapped around my wrist and ripped the katana right from my hand. The sword whirled through the air and landed right in the hands of a young woman, who also had appeared out of nowhere. She had long black hair tied into a little knot on the top of her head and wore light, dark green clothing. She looked at my katana as if it was a trophy.

I said loudly: ''Hey! Give that back!''

A small but very seductive smile appeared on her pale face.

She replied: ''Oh! Is that yours? A nice thing you have there. And I also like the sword.''

Confused at first, I followed her gaze and looked down at myself. What I saw was quite alarming and embarrassing at the same time.

''That means nothing!'', I said with the small rest of confidence I still had at this moment.

''Just give me back my sword and I let you live!''

She looked shocked, but most likely was just pretending to do so. She started grinning again and said seductively:

''Come and get it!''

Of course I knew this was a trap, that's why I kept standing where I was while also pulling a throwing knife out from my belt unnoticed and then throwing it right at her with an incredible fast reflex. Even though I should have hit her safely, nothing happened. I looked to the ground aghast: The throwing knife was just lying there, split in two pieces. The woman was still holding my katana in one hand, her whip in the other while still grinning seductively.

''Alright'', I thought, ''if you want to play, then let's play!''

I grabbed both my daggers and ran right towards her. She once again readied up to use her whip, but this time I was prepared and able to dodge her attacks. I lunged out with the dagger in my right hand while jumping right at her, but all I hit were the metal sleeves on her lower arms. I lunged out with the left dagger to surprise her from the other side, but she also blocked that attack and pushed me away with the power of both her arms. The push was strong enough to send my flying backwards while also going head over heels in midair. I eventually landed on my feet but I still was impressed: She had more up her sleeve than I thought. But now it was my turn! I put the daggers away, grabbed my second katana, took my fighting stand and finally made a slight hand movement to provoke her into attacking. She smiled again and ran towards me, katana in hands. A loud clash sound erupted when the swords collided. We both pushed as hard as we could against the other, our faces came closer to each other while I managed to force her to her knees.

''You're good!'', I gasped, I didn't want to waste any energy with talking.

She replied: ''You should see me when I'm evil''

After those words, she opened her mouth and licked the katana's blade with her pink tongue. I was shocked by this view so much that I didn't keep up my defense for a moment, allowing her to throw me to the ground without any problems.

There I was, lying on the forest ground defenseless, she was standing over me, more precisely, she wasn't standing anymore too, she knelt on all fours right on top of me.

''What are you doing?'', I said nervously.

''Showing you how evil I can be!'', she whispered into my ear.

My eyes shot open, I started to realize. I quickly looked to the side where Pagan tried to keep the shirshu on a distance since the animal tried to attack the dragon with its long poisonous tongue repeatedly. After that, I focused my attention back onto what was literally happening on top of me. The woman still had my katana in her hands, but suddenly, she just put it away. I tried to reach for it, but she grabbed my wrist and pinned it to the ground.

''No no no! Don't do that, OK?''

I wanted to protest, but suddenly felt something on my lips and then in my mouth!

''My dear spirits! This is not happening, is it?'', shot right through my mind.

The bounty huntress actually was kissing me right now! I tried to explain this to myself, but in the end, it had no effect since my body just gave into its passion.

''Well, who cares? I think deserved a reward for quite some time now, didn't I?'', I thought to myself resigned.

I eventually answered the kiss and started to explore her mouth using my tongue, causing her moan lightly already, most of the sound got stuck in my mouth. I decided to take initiative, grabbed her wrist using my free left hand, used a technique from weaponless martial arts and managed to turn her around. I was now on top of her, pinning her wrists to the ground. We dug into the kiss again, but I went a step further only a few moments later by removing my right hand from her wrist, placing it on her right breast and squeezing it. She moaned into my mouth again, I knew I had her entirely under my control now. I moved my left hand to her breast too while breaking the kiss, only to place many little kisses all along her neck. She really enjoyed, the expression on her face told the entire story. I pushed her light top to the side and looked right at her well-shaped breasts. While my left hand started to massage and caress her left breast and nipple, my mouth wandered onto her right nipple. I now heard her moans in full volume for the first time, it was like music in my ears. I continued to suck and massage with greater intensity, asked in the meantime:

''Happy?'', she could only nod, the excitement had taken her voice away.

A few minutes later I went down another level, folding up her garment and pulling down her wide pants, I was now able to see her holy point. I was grinning for the first time when I saw the shocked face she did when I removed her clothes. Still grinning, I slowly approached the point and finally started to use my mouth's strengths there too. Her moans turned into screams of pure lust, her whole body became light, just like sand running through the fingers. I kept up the whole game for about fifteen minutes, before she arched her back and a warm and sticky stream came towards me. I sat myself up and saw her exhausted but highly pleased face, she said:

''Now it's your turn!''

Before I knew what happened, I was on my back with her on top of me once again, even though she had positioned herself a little lower this time. She folded my robe to the side and pulled down my cloth pants. At first, the air was quite cold, but I got used to it pretty quick. I wasn't able to hide my excited manhood for a couple minutes now. I looked at her face, the seductive smile had returned. Without any words of warning, she took my manhood and devoured it. It was an indescribable feeling, better than anything I felt before. I wished it would have lasted forever, but after about ten minutes my body reached its limit and I unloaded the seed of my loins right into the throat of the bounty huntress. She looked satisfied when she cleaned her lips with the back of her hand.

''Not bad.'', she said, ''but the grand finale is still in store!''

She rose from the ground, only to sink right onto my re-excited manhood. I thought there wasn't a better feeling than before, but I had to reconsider that statement. This was even better! The movement of her hips did indescribable things to me, it was like my whole body was on fire! Shortly after, she slid of my manhood again to kneel in front of me on all fours. I knew what I had to do. I lead my manhood towards her holy point and thrust right into her, which made us both moan. I started to thrust slowly and regularly, which made her moan every time. My thrusts became faster over the time, after fifteen minutes, my body reached its maximum for a second time, unloading my seed right into the deepest parts of her womanhood.

Shortly after, I was lying on the forest ground exhausted, her head on my naked chest.

''That was incredible!'', I said quietly to her, ''you're really better when you're evil.''

''Told you!''

We kept lying in the grass for quite some time, then we rose again and dressed up again. That's when I remembered the real reason I even searched her.

''Is it true that Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation hired you to capture the Avatar?''

She looked confused, but then replied with a cheeky voice: ''Possibly. Why do you care?''

''Because I'm the sworn protector of the Avatar, I can't let the Fire Nation do him any harm!''

''I get it. You know what? I think I call this whole thing off, he already paid me, why should I even make the hard work now?''

She went over to her shirshu, mounted it and readied up to ride away. She turned around to face me and said:

''It was a pleasure to meet you. By the way, I'm June, maybe we'll see us again one day. I would be happy...''

She licked her lips during her last sentence. I think that I blushed a little under my hood, but I had no time noticing that, I looked after June riding away on her shirshu.

''What a woman!'', was everything I was thinking at that moment.

After I sorted my thoughts again, I whistled for Pagan who had flown away after his fight with the shirshu. I climbed his back and instructed him to fly back to the monastery.

He asked: ''How was it? Did you manage to stop the bounty huntress?''

''In a certain sense, yes.''

''What do you mean, in a certain sense?''

''I don't have to tell you that!''

''All right, I was just asking''

''The most important part is that she won't be a threat to the Avatar anymore.''

Back in the monastery, I fell into my bed immediately, the day had been really exhausting, even though in a different kind of way than usual. I had the best dreams in a long time that night, they gave me the energy for the next days, which proved to be very important...

 **Next chapter: Assassin meets Avatar**


	8. Revelations

My little love adventure with June the bounty huntress had only been two days ago when Pagan brought the next good news: The Avatar and his friends currently were in the north-eastern Earth Kingdom close to a bigger city that was currently hosting a fire festival. Pagan had been able to overhear that the three travelers apparently were planning to visit that festival.

''Great!'', I said, ''that's the perfect opportunity to finally reveal myself to the Avatar.''

''Why do you think so?''

''Two reasons, my friend: First of all, everybody is wearing a costume and a mask on such festival, therefore I would not attract any attention and would be able to spy over the Avatar unnoticed to find the right moment and second, it's about time, I may have already waited for too long, I simply have to take this chance now!''

''Alright. Are we good to go?'' I mounted Pagan and we flew away.

A couple of hours later we reached the forest close to the fire festival city. I dismounted Pagan and told him:

''Stay here, I most likely will return together with the Avatar.''

''And then what?''

''If everything goes according to plan, we will accompany the Avatar and his friends from then on, where ever they may go.''

''Very good, then I'll finally be able to save the energy from my camouflage''

''Hey! Don't get lazy now, my friend! You still will have to fly, and I don't think it will be good for both our health if you would fall asleep midflight.''

''Yes, alright...''

After those words, I left Pagan alone and headed towards the city. During the walk, I pulled my scarf over my face, today it wasn't just for hiding my identity but also my ticket for that fire festival. I already had experienced such festivals, there had been something similar in my home town, my siblings had forced me to accompany them to watch the strangest shows and stalls. I wasn't quite fond of such festivals, but they could be pretty nice occasionally. But today wasn't for entertainment, I had to find the Avatar!

I discovered the bright lighted city in the distance. The closer I came, the brighter the lights became, when I was only a few meters away from the entrance gate I almost had to hold my arm in front of my face to stop the lights from blinding me. Two guards were standing at both sides of the gate, but they weren't paying any attention to me or any another visitor entering the city, which allowed me to enter the city without any problems. Inside, I made my way to the big piazza in the middle and looked around: Just like I thought: Stalls everywhere, selling everything, from kitschy bits and pieces to food of any kind, everybody would something here. Between the stalls, there were fire artists at every corner performing strange bending tricks. The whole place was lighted with many paper lanterns, all in all, it made a pretty nice and peaceful impression. I walked through the masses of people casually, I didn't attract any attention with my combination of hood and scarf, even though the masks of most visitors were quite traditional, carved from wood and colored in odd patterns. What surprised me was the fact that most people looked like they didn't notice my weapons, I had left nothing behind, I was walking through the festival fully armed. The guards also didn't seem to care, just like the two in front of the gate, the guards inside the city never looked at me a second time. I of course kept an eye out for the Avatar and his two friends, but even with my sharp eyes I hadn't been able to discover any of them so far.

After a few minutes, I passed another one of those fire artists, this one already had a quite large group of spectators in front of his little stage. As I had currently no sign of the Avatar, I stopped and joined the crowd. The artist, even though just from his looks, I think charlatan was the better word to describe him, now announced his next trick, for which he would choose a person from the audience. He chose a small person wearing a long violet colored cloak and mask bearing a face with red cheeks. He lead the person to a chair where he sat them down and also tied their wrists to the chair's arm rests. After that, he started the show. He bent the fire in a very artistic manner, forming a golden dragon from the flames. I have to say that I found that quite impressing, how he moved the dragon around the person on the chair with only a short distance between body and fire. The whole spectacle lasted for a couple of minutes when something suddenly changed: The dragon started to become unstable in his flight, I saw that the artist was sweating profusely.

''I don't believe it! He's losing control!'', I thought and fixated my view to the front so I would be able to intervene if something would happen.

The dragon now become completely independent from its bender and shot directly at the tied person on the chair! I averted my gaze, ready to hear the fiery impact. But all I heard was a loud blast of wind. I looked back at the stage and saw a boy wearing a yellow and red mask with clothing in the same colors. I couldn't believe it at first, but I had made it! I had found the Avatar! But I wasn't able to celebrate my success, because the crowd started screaming, all I heard were the words ''Avatar'' and ''guards''. That was the moment I knew what would happen next.

I broke out of the crowd as fast as possible, ran into an empty alley and climbed the nearest building. From the rooftops, I had a view over the whole scene: Guards came running from the right, the Avatar and his companions, the girl had been the person tied to the chair, fled into the other direction. I followed them by running and jumping over the rooftops, about in between the pursuers and the escapers, I kept track of both parties. But the inevitable came: The Avatar's group ended up in a dead end, since they of course didn't knew the layout of the city, where they got cornered by the guards. I stood upon the roof right over the alley and looked down.

''It's finally here, the big moment!'', I said to myself in my mind, ''now I will finally reveal myself!''

I took a last deep silent breath, took two throwing knives from my belt in both my hand and then jumped down into the battle!

Just like I did for my assassination in the prison, I landed in a crouch between the Avatar and the guards. While I was crouching, I looked at the guards the whole time. Two of them appeared to be quite courageous as they started running towards me, blades drawn. I kept calm, stood up from my crouch and hurled my throwing knives at them. Both knives hit directly into the guards chest armor plates. Struck with shock, they kept running a few more steps before dropping down dead right in front of my feet. The other three guards stared at their comrades' corpses aghast, then turned their gazes to me. Apparently, they hadn't learned anything the scene that just had happened, as they charged right at me. I concentrated for a moment and summoned a ball of my white fire in both my hands. My hands reached to the front and two streams of fire shot right at the guards, they ran straight into the inferno. As they stood there burning and screaming in pain, I didn't wait, I extended my arm blades, rammed them right into the first two guards' chests, went over to the last one, grabbed his head and twisted it to the side with full force, snapping his neck. All three dropped dead at the same second.

After the successful assault, I turned around for the first time and immediately saw the frightened eyes of the Avatar and his companions. I decided not to talk for now, I gestured them to follow me. Quite unsure at first, they followed me eventually. I lead us through the narrow alleys and streets of the city, towards the main gate. Shortly after, we reached the latter, the two guards were still standing where I had last seen them. I gave the three friends a sign to wait, they followed. I snuck along the city wall towards the gate while grabbing a phial filled with black powder from my bag. When I was in position, I threw the phial right in between the two guards. It broke and thick black smoke appeared, blinding the guards. I gesticulated the Avatar and his friends to start running, we headed through the gate and into the forest.

When we arrived in the forest, my three followers were breathing heavily, I just stood there, my back turned towards them. A few minutes, the Avatar spoke up, he asked:

''Who are you and why did you help us?''

I said nothing, removed my scarf and my hood, then turned around and dropped to my knee. The Avatar had a questioning look on his, I said:

''Avatar! It's an honor to finally meet you in person.''

The girl took the word, she appeared to be outraged: ''How do you know Aang's the Avatar? And you still didn't tell us who you are!''

I stood up and spoke: ''My name is Yulizan and I am an Assassin.''

The Water Tribe boy asked perplexed: ''Huh? A what, please?''

I replied: ''The Assassins are an ancient order. Our goal and our duty is to preserve the peace in the world. We do that by fighting evil with all means necessary and by protecting the Avatar, the Highest Peacekeeper, with our lives.''

I turned to the air bender: ''I know who you are, Avatar, because the Spirits told of your arrival. The Assassins possess ancient knowledge unknown to most people. One piece of this knowledge is a map showing every Avatar's birthplace. Since the death of Avatar Roku 100 years ago, we waited in vain for the Avatar to appear. When the day finally came, one Assassin was chosen by the Spirits to serve the new Avatar as the Sworn Protector, just like the tradition says. The Spirits chose me and here I am.''

The Avatar still had the questioning look on his face and finally asked: ''So you're saying you were chosen to protect me, doing what?''

''Your mission to give back peace to the world, Avatar, it's the task the Spirits put on you with your birth. It's you alone who can end this senseless war that destroys the world.''

The girl spoke again: ''And why should we believe you? You're a fire bender, how can we know that you're not secretly working for the Fire Nation to get Aang?''

I lowered my head and voice: ''You should know, girl, that not every fire bender has fallen for the corrupt illusion that has captured our once great country. You should know, I didn't became an Assassin just because I wanted to protect the peace. I had...other reasons.''

I had to turn away to suppress the tears at the thought of the worst day of my life. The Avatar asked: ''What reasons?''

''A couple of years ago, my whole family got innocently murdered by Fire Lord Ozai himself!''

When I said that sentence, I saw the girl putting her hands in front of her mouth in shock.

''I saw my father's head hitting the ground. It was the worst day of my life! I swore that I would eradicate the injustice in this world! I found a message from my father, who also had been a member of the Assassins. I followed his last wish and joined the order, I became an Assassin myself. The Fire Nation is my enemy, the peace is my goal!''

When I finished talking, I had to sit down. Shortly after, the girl came towards me, putting her hand on my shoulder: ''I'm sorry, I had no clue you had to experience the same pain me and my brother did.''

I looked at her: ''What happened to you?''

I saw tears starting to appear in the girl's eyes, just like with me. ''Our mother was killed by Fire Nation soldiers when we were still children, our father went to war, we don't know if he is still alive.''

She started crying. Now I put my hand on her shoulder and said comforting: ''It's alright. I know it feels, you don't want to live yourself anymore in the first moment and you never will overcome the sorrow completely, but there's one thing one can always do: Make the people one loved and lost proud by doing good for the world.''

She looked at me and suddenly hugged me. ''Thank you.'', she whispered in my ear.

I returned the hug for a short moment, after that, she reached for her neck and showed me a necklace she was wearing. It was a blue ribbon bearing the Water Tribe insignia.

''This is everything I have left of my mother. It once belonged to my grandmother and is always handed to the next daughter. When I wear it, I feel close to her. But I'm sure you're not really interested in that, right?''

Instead of an answer, I reached into my collar and took my mother's medallion out, the golden plate holding the big ruby which bore my family's sigil in its molding. ''I understand you very good. I feel the same about this medallion. My mother always wore it, except for the day of her death. I found it in her bedroom, when I left my home town, it was the only piece not belonging to me I took with me, it should serve as a memory and it does until today.''

We both looked up to the sky and returned to the Avatar and the girl's brother shortly after.

I asked the Avatar: ''Well then Avatar, are you giving me the permission to accompany and protect you on your mission from now on?''

The Avatar replied relaxed: ''Of course! I don't see any problem, what about you guys?''

The girl shook her head, the boy did too, pretty uninterested however. The Avatar looked back at me and said: ''But there's one thing I expect you to do...''

I immediately replied: ''Of course! Everything, Avatar! I'm at your service!''

The Avatar looked at me with a serious face and said: ''Please stop calling me Avatar. Call me Aang.''

''Alright, Aang.''

He pointed at his companions and said: ''Those are Katara and Sokka.''

At this moment, the little lemur landed on the young air bender's shoulder. ''This little guy is Momo, and that...''

Suddenly I felt a big thud behind me, I turned around and found myself face to face with the Avatar's sky bison. ''...that is Appa, my bison, we travel on him. Don't worry, he's peaceful.''

I extended my hand and touched the giant animal's snout, causing him to blow air out of his nose, almost throwing me off my feet. Aang laughed and said: ''Don't worry about travelling, there's enough space for all of us on Appa's back.''

I countered: ''Very nice of you, but that won't be necessary, I have my own form of transport.''

I put two fingers in my mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Only seconds later I heard the familiar flapping of wings. Katara and Sokka looked to the sky in horror and tried to hide behind Aang when Pagan landed. I tapped my friend's scaly neck and said:

''Good to see you, my friend.''

Sokka was the first to find his voice again, he stuttered: ''Is t-t-that a d-d-dragon?''

I replied: ''Yes, this is Pagan, my best friend. I found him as a child while he was still an egg. I nursed and raised him myself, he is my transporter. Don't be afraid, he does no harm.''

Just when Katara and Sokka start to look relieved, Pagan roared and breathed out a cloud of fire, which nearly caused the siblings to faint. I said angrily:

''Pagan! What was that about?''

My dragon companion laughed and said: ''I'm sorry, it was just too tempting, this was the first time I met humans who were afraid of my mere sight.''

''Just don't do it! We're now part of their group, we have to get along with each other. So no more of those jokes, yes?''

Pagan replied slightly abashed: ''Alright.''

But only a few moments later, he got what he deserved. Momo, the little lemur, jumped on Pagan's head and started playing with his horns and his two beard whiskers. Pagan looked at me with pleading face, but all I did was grinning back in silence, I wanted to tell him: ''That's what you get!'' After Momo let go of Pagan a few minutes later, Appa, the bison, approached the dragon. They both sniffed each other, before Appa licked Pagan's slim body with his giant tongue.

I asked Aang: ''Is that good?''

The young Avatar immediately replied: ''Of course! Appa seems to like him!'' I was reassured, we all would most likely get along very well.

My plan eventually had worked! I had revealed myself to the Avatar and joined his party! Now my mission could finally start to full extent! From now on, I would accompany the Avatar and help him on his mission. Interesting times were ahead of us. Sometime later, we flew away together, Aang, Katara and Sokka on Appa, me on Pagan just next to them. I think we would become a rehearsed team pretty quickly.

While we were flying through the night sky, I looked up to the stars, holding my mother's medallion in my hand, grabbing it tight and thinking of her, my father and my siblings.

In my mind I said: ''Now it's only a matter of time, then you'll finally be able to rest in peace, I promise!''

Get ready, Fire Nation! Team Avatar has entered the battlefield!

 **Next chapter: Don't play with fire!**


	9. The Power of Fire

From now on, Pagan and I traveled through the world together with Aang, the Avatar, and his two friends Katara and Sokka. When I stopped in the evening of our first day together to rest for the night, I was able to immediately help my new friends: Using my bending abilities, I ignited a little white campfire. We sat around the fire in our group of four while Pagan and Appa were already fast asleep.

Aang asked: ''Yulizan, can I ask you a question?''

''Of course, what is it?''

''Why is the fire you're bending white? Isn't fire yellow or light red normally?''

''Well, that is due to my Assassin training. You know, the Assassins are present around the whole world, the Assassins of Old originally hailed from all four nations, there were even some air bender Assassins.''

Aang look slightly shocked: ''But the Air Nomads were always peaceful people, I doubt that some of us decided to become murderers just to protect the peace.''

''Aang, the Assassins aren't just trained to kill, we're versatile, many of our members scattered around the world are passive members acting just as informants, only a few are chosen to be trained in the monastery to become warriors. I'm pretty sure the air bender Assassins were scouts, you have to admit, your abilities are pretty much made for reaching most places unseen.''

That seemed clear to Aang: ''That's right, but still doesn't answer my question about the white fire.''

''Like I said, the Assassins consist of member of all nations, we always had many benders in our entourage. Over the time the various benders developed new techniques helpful for their Assassin missions. The fire benders are the oldest part of the order, they founded it millennia ago. Short after the foundation, during the construction of the monastery, the Old Masters discovered a special mineral inside the mountain the monastery was built into. They performed many experiments on this mineral and eventually discovered that it burned with a bright white flame when you set it on fire. They studied this form of fire for many years and eventually managed to control and later create it themselves. Since then, every Assassins who hails from the Fire Nation is trained in the arts of the white fire, no one else knows its secret.''

Katara now asked: ''Are these white flames special in any way? Or is it just the color that sets them apart from the normal ones?''

''Well, there is one big difference: White flames are about three times as hot as normal yellow flames. They're even able to melt metal with the right concentration.'' Aang and Katara swallowed in respect.

Now I picked up another topic and turned towards Katara: ''Now I want to ask a question too: Why is it that you and Sokka accompany Aang?''

Thereupon, Katara told me the entire story, how she and Sokka had found and freed Aang from inside of the ball-shaped iceberg, how they decided to travel to the Northern Water Tribe to find a water bending teacher for Aang and Katara, and of the many adventures they already had experienced on their travels. When Katara talked about the liberation of the earth benders from the prison, she suddenly stopped and look at me.

She said: ''It was you who killed the overseer, wasn't it?''

I nodded and replied: ''This man stood for everything that corrupts the Fire Nation, I wasn't able witness how he treated the people in that prison any longer.''

Katara continued her story until she reached the point when I had rescued them in the city of the fire festival.

I had listened carefully and said afterwards: ''So you're heading towards the Northern Water Tribe. Good, I was actually thinking you had no real plan and would just travel through the world completely goalless.''

Aang said: ''What do you mean?''

''Well, I have followed you for quite some time now and always wondered what you were planning at certain places. But now that I know what your goal is, this should come to an end.''

We shared a short laugh, then Aang turned to me again: ''Tell me Yulizan, if you're such a good fire bender, couldn't you teach me fire bending?''

I immediately replied: ''I'm very sorry Aang, but this won't work for two main reasons. Firstly, the Avatar Cycle prescribes that you first have to learn Water, than Earth and finally Fire. Trying to bend Fire now already would probably be very dangerous . And second, my way of fire bending is reserved for Assassins, we're not allowed to teach it to any outsider, and even if it would be allowed, the learning process with white fire is much more difficult than with normal fire, it would probably take months for you to even achieve the easiest of my techniques.''

Aang looked to the ground slightly sad, but an idea came to my mind at that moment.

''But, if you really want to try to learn fire bending already, I know a man who could help you.''

Aang's eyes immediately became brighter: ''Who?''

''His name is Master Jeong Jeong, he's also a member of the Assassin order. Just like me, he turned his back towards the Fire Nation, he lives in a hut in a forest not far from here. He is one of the most powerful benders of the normal fire. He may look reserved most of the time, but I think, because you're the Avatar he will train you.''

''What are we waiting for? Let's head off and find this master!''

Sokka, who had laid down in the meantime, groaned: ''Oh, come on! It's already this late, let's sleep and go there tomorrow.''

But because Aang couldn't be tamed anymore, Sokka eventually gave in. We packed our things, mounted our animals and started flying.

Only a short time later we landed in the forest where Jeong Jeong's hut was located. We reached it a little later, but when Aang wanted to head in straight away, I held him back.

''Wait Aang! You can't just walk into a strangers house!''

''But you said that you know him.''

''Yes, I know him, but he doesn't know you, and you don't want to know what Assassins do with unknown intruders.''

I moved my thumb over my throat demonstratively. This immediately convinced Aang, he took a few steps back and left me the first step. I walked to the wooden hut door, knocked three times and said:

''Shadow walkers and warriors of light are my friends!''

That was the code every Assassin knew which we used to protect ourselves against enemies or traitors. From inside the hut a muffled voice said:

''Come in, brother!''

I opened the door and saw the old master, sitting in lotus position in a circle of candles. I took two steps and sank to my knee.

''Master Jeong Jeong, it is an honor to meet you again.''

''The honor is on my side, Master Yulizan. What gives me the privilege of your visit?''

''You most likely know that the Cycle is active again, Master, the Avatar has returned and the Spirits chose me to fill the spot of the Protector.''

Jeong Jeong opened his eyes a little more and looked up: ''That is a great honor you received there, Master Yulizan, but it doesn't answer my question about why you are here.''

''Well, the reason for me being here is the following: The Avatar is with me, he asked me to bring him to you so you can train him the art of fire bending.''

''Has he already completed the cycle?''

''No, but he insisted on learning fire bending already, and you know that the Protector has no right to question the Avatar's decisions, even though they may be morally unacceptable.''

''I am well aware of our order's traditions, Master Yulizan. Even though his state usually wouldn't allow it...bring the Avatar to me, I will see what I can do.''

''Thank you, Master, I will send him to you immediately.''

I thereupon left the hut and told Aang: ''Aang, Master Jeong Jeong is willing to see you, he will decide if he will train you. Always act very respectful towards him when you're inside, you understand?''

Aang was quickly jumping from one leg to the other, I'm pretty sure he didn't really listened to me.

He said: ''Alright, no problem!'', and headed towards the hut.

''This is going to be interesting.'', I thought to myself, sat down and leaned against a close by rock.

Katara came towards me and asked: ''Is there something that depresses you?''

''Well, I just think that Aang isn't taking this whole thing as serious as he should. Is he not aware that the world's destiny is in his hands?''

''Of course he is, but don't forget, he's still a child on the inside, his behavior is all natural.''

''I know that somehow you're right, I just think he should start concentrate on his mission.''

Jeong Jeong had decided to at least introduce Aang to fire bending, which meant that we stayed near the hut for some time. The master showed the young Avatar the most important introduction techniques, like the correct breathing or using the sun as an energy source. But soon it was clear that Aang wanted more, which however pulled on Jeong Jeong's patience. After two days, he said that he finally would show Aang something practical. The young air bender was very happy until he realized that the task was just to not let a leaf burn up. I remembered when I had to fulfill this task during my training, I had succeeded fairly fast, but Aang didn't seem to like the whole thing. When Jeong Jeong told us that he would leave us alone for some time, I was already suspecting something. And my instincts proved to be right: Shortly after Jeong Jeong had left, Aang created a tiny flame and tried to mimic the movements he had seen the artists at the fire festival perform. The inevitable happened: He lost control over the flame and burned Katara's hands! Luckily I was standing pretty close and was able to intervene by absorbing the flame and shooting it into the sky. After that, I ran over to Katara who was winding on the ground in pain, I tried to treat her injuries. An idea came to my mind that I wanted to try out: I took a small bottle filled with water from a spring and gave something of the liquid onto Katara's hands. The water glued to her hands magically and healed them in mere seconds. We looked at each other surprised, she asked:

''What was that? How is that possible?''

''I once read about this: Some water benders possess healing powers caused by certain events or influences. Apparently, you possess those powers.''

Katara stared at her healed hands in disbelief and then smiled.

Shortly after, we heard fighting noise and rushed back to the hut. I feared there would be an attack, which proved to be correct: Fire Nation soldiers had surrounded the hut in which Aang had hidden after his loss of control. Katara and I hid behind a bush and observed the scene. I noticed that the soldiers were all standing next to each other in a straight line. An idea came to my mind: During my training I once had learned a pretty complex fire bending technique which I hadn't been able to use until now. Now it looked like the perfect moment. I told Katara to stay hidden while stepping out from behind the bush, right into the soldiers' backs. They didn't notice me and kept their focus on the hut. I focused my breathing, created multiple fire strips in front of me using edge of my hand which I connected into a big horizontal fire blade, just as wide as the soldiers' line. I took a deep breath and then sent the fire blade towards the soldiers with high speed. They didn't notice a thing until the blade cut all of them in half at about the height of their waists. One second later, a dozen of bisected soldiers was lying in front of the hut. Shortly after, Jeong Jeong returned, he had met Admiral Zhao in the forest and had dueled with him. When he discovered the bisected corpses, he said to me:

''You have my respect, Master Yulizan, you really have mastered the fire blade technique.''

Shortly after Aang emerged from the hut and positioned himself in front of us apologetically. Jeong Jeong took the word:

''Aang, you didn't follow my orders and therefore did not just hurt your friend but also endangered all of us! Are convinced now that you're not ready to learn fire bending yet?''

''Yes master, I learned my lesson, fire is dangerous and destructive, it takes a lot of time to control it.''

''At least you recognize your mistakes. Then you should also recognize that you have to follow the cycle and first learn to control water and earth before trying the fire.''

''Yes master, I realized it.''

Aang turned to Katara: ''I'm so sorry I hurt you, I never wanted to endanger you!''

Katara smiled and replied: ''It's alright. Look.''

She showed him her healed hands. Aang was amazed when Katara told him about her newly discovered healing powers. Jeong Jeong took the word again:

''Avatar Aang, you have head off and continue your way towards the Northern Water Tribe. You have to find a water bending teacher and learn to master the element! With every wasted hour, the Fire Nation becomes stronger!''

''Of course master, we will set out soon.''

While Aang, Katara and Sokka packed their things, Master Jeong Jeong took me to the side and said:

''Master Yulizan, this boy has a pretty strong will. I feel that it will cause him danger sooner or later. If anything like that happens, you have to perform your duty or the world will sink into eternal darkness!''

''I know, Master, I will give my life for the Avatar if I have to. I will not fail!''

''That's the right attitude. But now head off. May you walk in the shadows, Yulizan.''

''As may you, Master''

I whistled for Pagan, mounted him and we rose into the air together with Appa. While Pagan flew right next to the bison, I talked with my friends when I noticed a dark spot on Aang's wrist.

I asked: ''What happened, Aang?''

''Oh, well I think the fire has burned me too a little, but don't worry, I'm alright.''

Katara and I exchanged looks, then I handed her the water bottle. She gave a few drops of water onto the burned area and it became good as new immediately. Aang look even more amazed than before and even Sokka had to pay his respects for Katara's new ability. I was smiling silently and turned my eyes back to the front. We had no time to lose, Jeong Jeong had been right: With every day, the Fire Nation's power grew and grew, they killed more and more innocent people. This had to end! We had to do something!

We continued our way towards the North with the goal to reach the Northern Water Tribe within the next days.

 **Next chapter: Technical progress**


	10. The Northern Air Temple

During the next days, our journey continued relatively problem-free, we didn't get involved in any fights or something like that. When I stopped for our obligatory rest one evening, we met a group of people sitting around a large campfire. We asked if we could join them and they allowed it. Now the four of us sat in the circle around the fire with the other people, listening to an old man's stories. I liked storytellers like him, my grandfather, who died when I was seven years old, had told me stories of his journeys around the world during my childhood. Years later, in the monastery, I found out that my grandfather had been an Assassin too.

The Old Man at the campfire told of many different things, but things started to get interesting when he started talking about the ''air walkers'', people who apparently were able to defy gravity. Me and my friends shared views among each other, we all thought of the same: The Old Man was most likely talking about air benders. When he had finished his story, he went around in the circle while collecting possible donations. I had found his stories really entertaining, for which reason I was generous, snapping a gold coin towards him when he stood right in front of me. He thanked me well-behaved, but when he wanted to walk away, Aang asked:

''You said you heard the story from your great-grandfather?''

''That is right, my young friend, why are you asking?''

''Because it has to be quite old then.''

''But no! My great-grandfather saw the air walkers again only last week.''

This statement took me by surprise so much that I lightly choked on the water I was drinking in that moment. I coughed hard multiple times while Katara was tapping my back. When I had found my voice again, all I was able to say was one word:

''What?''

The Old Mann apparently didn't understand what about that fact had shocked us so severely, but the four of us all knew what was going on: Apparently, there were some air benders and they were pretty close to us! I saw the excitement in Aang's eyes, he probably wanted to jump high up into the air because of his joy, but he held himself back to not unsettle the other people present. We all knew what would be our next and most likely final destination before reaching the Northern Water Tribe: The Northern Air Temple, that's where the storyteller's great-grandfather apparently had seen the air walkers.

The next day, we set off as early as possible to follow the clue as fast as possible. While we were flying, I looked at my map: The Northern Air Temple was pretty close to our original route, therefore we wouldn't lose that much time. Shortly after, we were able to see the temple and also the many people flying through the air, circling the large building. I was actually astonished: Was the Old Man right after all? It pretty much looked like he was. But suddenly, Aang's disappointed voice pierced through my thoughts:

''They're no air benders!''

Sokka asked: ''How can you tell that from this distance, you almost can't recognize anything.''

''It's their way of flying, it's not the result of air bending, the movements look too artificial, too wooden.''

''Wooden'' was just the right word, I thought while looking through my telescope, watching those strange people closely: Almost all of them wore green clothes, Earth Kingdom inhabitants, but then, how exactly was it possible for them to fly? Suddenly, Aang grabbed his gliding staff and jumped off his bison's back. I looked after him nervously and discovered that he was following one of the many gliders. Since we started to reach some pretty full skies as we had slowly approached the temple, I instructed Pagan to land in the courtyard as quick as possible. My dragon had no problems whatsoever while Sokka was visibly struggling to get Appa to land safely. I kept my eyes open for Aang in the sky, I saw him in some kind of competition with the glider he had followed. Soon after, both of them landed and I noticed something very interesting: The boy who had flown with the glider was sitting in a strange wooden chair with rollers attached to it, his legs were covered in thick bandages.

''Whoa! It looks like he can't walk but still has the courage to fly with that thing!'', I said to myself.

The boy introduced himself as Teo, I paid him my respects for taking such a risk in his condition while Sokka looked to be more interested in the gilder. Teo said that his father had built the glider and many other things.

He lead us into the interior part of the temple. In contrast to my three friends, I never had seen an air temple's interior, therefore, I was pretty curious to see what kind of old knowledge and art would await me. But all I saw was pipes, pipes and more pipes! They were distributed in the whole temple, leading through walls, hanging from the ceiling, going into the floor, the whole temple seemed like one giant machine. Teo explained that his father used the warm air surrounding the temple to operate everything here. The pipes lead the air towards every place it was needed. I was impressed. On one side, I've always been a supporter of technical progress, if it was used for the right cause. On the other hand, I was kind of disappointed that the old Air Nomad knowledge had been destroyed so easily. Sokka and Aang shared my different opinions in their own views. Teo lead us even deeper into the temple, until we reached a room which looked pretty untouched. A statue was standing in the middle, but we had little to no time to marvel at it, as it got destroyed by a big machine shortly after. Aang became angry, an emotion I've never had witnessed on him before. He created a large gust of wind that threw the machine into the abyss. The user of the machine, who turned out to be Teo's father, told his story after Teo told him that Aang was the Avatar and Aang accused Teo's father that he had no right to desecrate this temple: A flood had once destroyed Teo's home village, his mother had died, Teo was severely injured. Searching for a new home, they eventually found the temple. Inspired by the Air Nomad paintings on the walls, Teo's father had built a glider for his son to give him back a feeling of freedom and mobility. He defended his attitude by saying that he would just improve what already existed, but Aang didn't listen to his words. Sokka on the other was very interested in the man's inventions and wanted to help him with his work.

Teo continued to lead Aang, Katara and me through the temple, showing us the animals who still lived here even after the long time without anyone inhabiting the temple and finally the large door that lead into the temple's sanctum. In the Southern Air Temple's sanctum, Aang had transferred into the Avatar State for the first time as I knew from Katara's narrative and the glowing of my tattoo. Teo wanted to convince Aang to open the door using his air bending, but Aang refused, he wanted to leave the temple at least one untouched place. Shortly after, he left the temple, opened his glider and started circling the temple. I went over to Pagan, who had calmly waited alongside Appa in the temple's courtyard the whole time, sat down on the ground next to him and told him what had happened.

I finished my narrative with: ''I can understand him, I would most likely have a similar reaction if anyone would desecrate the monastery.''

Pagan laughed and replied: ''You don't actually believed that could happen, do you? You have such good defensive measures, whoever wanted to desecrate anything would not even make it through the gate!''

I had to laugh too and said: ''That is right of course, and also a big difference: In contrast to the Air Nomads, we Assassins will never die out, we will bring peace to the world for many millennia to come.''

Shortly after, Aang, Teo and Katara, who also had tried one of the gliders from Teo's father, landed in the courtyard again. Aang looked much more relaxed than before, when the three of them returned to the interior of the temple, I followed them of course. Shortly after, we stood in front of the sanctum's door again.

I asked: ''I thought you didn't want to open it.''

''I changed my mind.''

Aang readied up and sent two sharp gusts of air into two holes in the bottom part of the door. I heard lots of whistling and mechanisms when the air shot through pipes, then the door opened. But nobody had expected what we found inside: The room wasn't as untouched as we had thought. It was filled to the brim with weapons, many of them I had never seen anywhere before. For example strange metallic boxes with rollers and a big basket which had ropes and a large tarp attached to it. I had no time to think about what else there was in the room, because Teo's father and Sokka came running into the room. Aang immediately confronted Teo's father the weapons which, as I noticed only now, bore the Fire Nation sigil. From out of nowhere, a large amount of anger started to rise inside of me, this man was actually building new equipment for this senseless war. I started marching towards him, my right arm blade extended, but Katara held me back. Teo's father confessed that he had made a deal with the Fire Nation: The inhabitants of the temple would not be harmed if he would keep delivering new weapons. He left the room shortly after, Aang and Teo followed him. Sokka, Katara and I decided to leave the temple completely for now, therefore, we made our way down to the courtyard.

We talked about the events, I told Sokka and Katara the same I had talked about with Pagan. They agreed with me about Aang's feelings, but they were unsure what he was going do now. Shortly after, Teo arrived, he told us that his father had met with War Minister Qin of the Fire Nation, but Aang had provoked and attacked the man. Now the Fire Nation would attack the temple! Aang himself arrived soon after, he explained his plan to us: The Fire Nation would have to attack from the ground while the inhabitants of the temple had the aerial advantage. Sokka thereupon revealed that he had helped Teo's father improving the balloon, the thing with the basket and the tarp, it was now ready for battle! They had also built multiple bombs which would be of great aid in the fight. Even though this would be a battle-like fight, I would try to stay out of the action, mainly because I probably wouldn't stand a chance against those kind of machines.

Some time later, the Fire Nation troops appeared, armed to the teeth with the weapons Teo's father had built, including some tanks, the metallic boxes with rollers I had noticed inside the armory. They were large vehicles with a thick metal shell that nothing could penetrate. I was pretty sure that the shell was strengthened in a kind of way that was so strong that even my white fire couldn't have melted it, but for that, I had to come to immediate vicinity of these monsters.

When the battle began, I mounted Pagan and we rose to the air alongside the other inhabitants of the temple.

I said to Pagan: ''The time is now, my friend, show them your dragon power!''

I didn't have to tell Pagan twice, he roared loudly, flew over the enemy tanks closely and let out an unhindered gush of fire. Even though the dragon fire slowed the tanks down a little bit, it wasn't able to stop them. Aang and Katara on the battlefield didn't know what exactly to do more either, they left the frontline on Appa shortly after. The whole situation looked pretty bad for us until the balloon controlled by Sokka and Teo's father suddenly appeared in the sky. Because of the painted Fire Nation sigil, the tanks took the balloon for an ally and didn't attack it. The balloon slowly floated towards a large chasm, I saw it disappearing behind some hills, then I all I heard was a loud bang. Pagan flew over the hills quickly where I saw it: Something from the balloon had caused a massive explosion which had struck a large breach in the ranks of the enemy tanks. They retreated shortly after, the people from the temple celebrated their victory.

After we all had landed safely in the courtyard again, Aang went over to Teo and his father and told them that he now had understood: Technical progress can be good. He was happy that they had found a new home in the temple and hoped that they would ensure the temple's preservation.

Before we said goodbye to the people in the temple and continued our journey, Teo's father wanted to talk to me in private.

''I noticed you're owning a large arsenal of weapons, young friend. I have a new invention that might be of good use for you. Unfortunately I have not been able to build it yet, but I have already drawn the concept. Take a look at it.''

He handed me a scroll bearing the plans for a new kind of weapon: It looked like a miniature cannon that one could attach to their wrist.

''And what exactly is this supposed to be?'', I asked.

''This little device will be able to shoot little balls of metal with immense speed using black powder, and everything from the wrist! The perfect weapon for you, am I right?''

I nodded, even though that sounded like a pretty loud deal for me. Teo's father took the scroll back and said:

''I will continue my studies and try to craft an exemplar. If we meet again, I will tell you of my progress.''

I nodded again and returned to my friends. We bid farewell to the temple's inhabitants and rose into the air.

Fortunately our little detour hadn't cost us too much time, we still were on schedule. But no more interruptions from now on, the time was still not on our side. We had to reach to Northern Water Tribe as fast as possible, I had a strange feeling that the next days would be packed with many events, in every way possible...

 **Next chapter: Team Avatar reaches the Northern Water Tribe**


	11. Arrival In The North

We continued flying northbound, eventually leaving the main land behind us with only endless ocean around. I made a little precaution before we had left the Northern Air Temple to simplify the arrival at the Northern Water Tribe: I had changed the red and gold ornaments of my robe to new blue and silver ones, I didn't want to be identified as a fire bender immediately since I didn't know how the Water Tribe residents would react to one. Until now, I had worn my country's colors with pride, but since it could endanger the mission here, I gave it up for now.

After three days, there was still nothing but ocean to see, Sokka started to become impatient. He pounded his fist on the saddle and said:

''Come on! Fly faster or it will take us 10 more years!''

Aang tried to calm him down: ''Let it go Sokka, we're all tired, but don't let your anger out by hitting Appa.''

Sokka some more things when I suddenly noticed something strange. I could feel it clearly, something was beneath us! I gave Pagan a signal on which he increased the gap between himself and Appa. Aang wanted say something when my feeling proved to be right: Several men wearing blue robes emerged from the ocean, they created six blocks of ice out of nowhere, tying Appa's legs and causing him to drop into the water. Pagan shot back down, I was ready to attack when I noticed the joyful look on Katara's face:

''We made it! We found the Northern Water Tribe!''

I took a closer look at our assailants and noticed the Water Tribe sigils on their robes. I sheathed my katana which I had pulled out during Pagan's nosedive. The water benders now had discovered Pagan and me and readied up to seemingly attack and freeze us to, but Katara was able to hold them back at the last moment.

Pagan panted: ''That was close! One second later I would have been an ice block.'' I laughed at my friend's comment.

The water benders led Appa, who had Aang, Katara and Sokka on his back while swimming in the ocean, and Pagan and me, flying in the air right next to the bison, straight towards a giant glacier. Shortly after we reached a big gap in that glacier and what was inside that gap was breathtaking: Out from the ice, a massive multistory city, completely built out of even more ice, emerged. Pagan flew a bit higher to give us a better view over the whole city, it really was a beautiful sight. But like with most things, there was a bitter aftertaste here too: Even though the temperature had been quite pleasant during our flight, now it was even colder than it had been at the Southern Water Tribe. This time, there was no hoarfrost but solid icicles on Pagan's horns, my face was scarlet colored and burning from the cold even with my hood and scarf on.

''Still not my favorite climate'', I noted, ''but who knows, maybe we will stay here long enough to finally adapt to it.'' Pagan agreed with me on that point.

We returned to our friends who in the meantime had reached the giant wall surrounding the city's entrance. I didn't see anything looking like a gate, I asked myself how we would get in. Just when I thought about simply flying over the wall on Pagan, the water benders raised their hands and created a large opening in the massive wall of ice, big enough for both Appa and Pagan to get through. After we passed the entrance, the water benders closed it again behind us. Now we had officially done it! We had reached the Northern Water Tribe!

We were led through the various canals inside the city. Countless people were standing left and right, seemingly welcoming us. Most of them were shocked at first when they saw Pagan, a mature dragon, but fortunately nobody severely panicked. Pagan had to retract his wings quite a bit while flying with low speed or he probably would have hit something in the narrow canals. It became quite critical when a boat on the canal came towards us. Pagan mobilized his powers, pulled his wings as close to his long slim body as possible to float over the canal's water without an obvious source of power, as soon as the boat had passed us, his wings went out as far as the canal allowed it again. But the dragon was still not able to relax, because shortly after Sokka landed right on his snout after falling off the back of Appa's back. While Pagan helped the young man to climb back on board, I turned around and looked after the boat that just passed us: A girl with snow white hair was sitting in it. I had to grin, I now knew why Sokka had kept watching that boat.

Our way through the canals went on longer than I expected. When we finally reached our destination, the palace at the top of the city, it already started getting dark. We were led into the palace and introduced to the chief of the Water Tribe. I introduced myself as the Avatar's Protector, but of course concealed my Assassin background. When I revealed that I hailed from the Fire Nation, to my relief, the chief reacted calmly and welcomed me and my friends at the Water Tribe. To celebrate the arrival of the relatives from the South and the Avatar, a festival was announced. While Aang, Katara and Sokka were very enthusiastic about the festival immediately, I told them:

''I won't join you.''

All three stared at me in disbelief, Aang asked: ''Why not?''

I replied: ''I don't like big festivals like this, too loud, too many people...''

I whispered my next words: ''...it could endanger my disguise, I don't want anybody here to find out who I really am.''

Aang immediately understood and said: ''Alright, you saw where our quarters are located. Just don't get lost in this big city.''

I didn't understood the last sentence completely since I already had turned around, leaving the palace.

When I stood outside again, it was now completely dark, the moon shone brightly up in the starlit sky. I knew of course that the moon had an essential importance for the water benders as it directly influenced their bending abilities, similar to us fire benders with the sun. Pagan was still lying on the large yard in front of the palace's stairs, when I stood next to him, he opened his eyes which illuminated the night with their poison green color for a short moment, I lightly rubbed his horns which were now thawed again, fortunately the inside of the city wasn't as cold as the outer glacier. I told him to continue sleeping, I wouldn't need him for now. Pagan panted happily and closed his eyes again. I started wandering through the nightly alleys of the Water Tribe city, looking around. As expected, everything was built from ice, the most houses were pretty simple, while still pretty big, regarding their style, probably to ease the construction. Even in this late hour, many people were still outside, they didn't notice me when they passed me. I stroked the blue fabric of my robe and nodded, changing the ornaments had paid off, nobody suspect anything.

After I wandered through the streets, always following the main canal, for quite some time, I stopped, unfastened my meditation mat, put it down at the edge of the canal and sat down on it, it was a protection against the cold of the icy ground. I left my legs hanging over the edge, a little above the water. I looked at my reflection on the calm water, which also reflected the moon and the stars, thoughtful. I looked up to the sky, observing the stars, there were so many of them, I never had seen so many at any other place I had been to so far. I thought about my family, myself, my mission, my destiny, my oath, my whole life essentially. In the meantime, I took my mother's medallion and looked at it for the umpteenth time, the moonlight broke itself in the ruby, revealing the molded sigil inside the gem. While I was buried in my thoughts, I heard somebody approaching me. I rendered it meaningless, many people had passed me in the last couple of minutes. But this time it was different. I looked back at the water and saw the person that had approached. She was standing next to me, I saw her reflection next to mine. I stood up and looked at the person: It was a girl, only a little younger than me. She was wearing typical Water Tribe clothing, like I had already seen it many times today. Her long brown was tied into a long ponytail behind her head, the night sky reflected itself in her ice blue eyes. I was able to see her blushing when she looked at me, even in the darkness. Her eyes wandered towards my medallion which was still hanging outside of my robe. She talked with a quiet voice:

''A nice medallion you have there.''

''Thank you. Say, have you watched me sitting here?''

The girl averted her gaze and scraped the snow with her foot. Then she said:

''Not for long. I saw you sitting there when I walked past and thought that you were...cute how you sat there, so I stopped and looked what you were doing.''

I was amazed. She had called me ''cute''. I decided to make her a compliment too:

''If there's someone cute here, then it has to be you.''

Her face turned even more red, I had to hide my grin.

I added: ''I'm Yulizan, what's your name?''

She replied: ''Runa, my name is Runa.''

I took a step towards her and gently caressed her cheek.

''A pretty name for a pretty girl, how fitting.''

She blushed even more after my touch and my words and wasn't able to say another word, however much she tried. I put my index finger on her lips and whispered:

''Quiet, you don't need any words.''

I removed my finger and moved my lips onto hers. Her eyes shot open at first, but after a few seconds she closed them and gave into the kiss. For the next few minutes, we just stood there kissing, luckily nobody passed us during that time. After I broke the kiss I asked:

''That was what you wanted, wasn't it?''

She nodded and replied: ''There are many boys here, but none of them has been like you.''

''Well, I have to admit, I'm not like most boys.''

''No, you surely aren't.'', she said and kissed me again.

We walked through the alleys together for a while and talked. Runa told me more about her, for example that she would turn sixteen soon, reaching the marriageable age.

''My parents already chose a husband for me, I will marry him a few days after my birthday.''

''But shouldn't marriage be about love? An arranged marriage doesn't sound like true love for me.''

''But what should I do? It's our tradition and my parents are very strict about that, so I will obey them.''

Even though I wasn't happy with her decision, what was there that I could do? Unless... An idea came to my mind. As it already was fairly late, I said goodbye to Runa, but I told her that we would meet again tomorrow night, at the same place as tonight. She was happy about that and so our ways parted. I returned to the quarters that had been assigned to me and my friends, a big round building made from ice blocks, the Water Tribe people called them ''igloos''. I silently entered the room and saw Aang, Katara and Sokka already sleeping on their thick sleeping bags. I laid down on my own, which was located near the end of the room, and fell asleep pretty fast.

When I woke up the next morning, Aang and Katara were gone, only Sokka was sitting on his sleeping bag, carving something.

I sat up and said: ''Good morning, where are Aang and Katara?''

''Oh, the chief introduced Aang to a water bending teacher after the festival yesterday, they're probably already at the training.'', Sokka replied without looking up from his work.

I thought about his words: Aang had found a teacher, we therefore had achieved our main goal for travelling here. Since I had nothing to do besides my date with Runa in the evening, I had decided to not tell any of my friends about me meeting the girl, I decided to watch Aang's and Katara's training, if it was allowed and possible.

When I stepped out from the igloo, I saw them standing in some distance next to an old man wearing a blue robe, that had to be the teacher Sokka was talking about. It looked like they were in some kind of big dispute, but I was standing too far away to understand anything and thought that an approach was unfitting in this situation. After Katara walked away after another loud argument and Aang was about to start training with the old man, I walked towards them. Aang noticed me and greeted:

''Good morning Yulizan, have you done everything you wanted to do last night?''

I wasn't able to answer, because the old man cut Aang off: ''Who is this? You know him?''

Aang replied: ''Yes, this is Yulizan, another friend of mine, you don't know him yet because he wasn't at the festival yesterday.''

The old man greeted me reluctantly by raising his left hand. It was at this moment when I discovered something that made me freeze internally. The old man said:

''Would you please go away now so we can start our training?''

I had to risk it to prove it.

''Only if I can talk to you in private afterwards, Master...?''

''Pakku.'', he replied, ''alright, but only if you leave now and don't interrupt the training.''

I immediately walked away a couple of steps, returning to the igloo, placing my mat on the ground in front of the building, sitting down on it and starting a little phase of meditation. Shorty after Sokka emerged from the igloo, I asked:

''Where are you going?''

''That...uh...is a secret.'', Sokka replied awkwardly, walking away quickly, entering one of the many alleys.

I had a certain idea where he was heading, it wasn't an easy task to fool me.

I meditated for several hours until Aang and Master Pakku had finished their training. When Aang passed me on the way to the igloo, I was able to see the annoyed look on his face. Master Pakku was waiting where he and Aang had trained. When I reached him, he turned around, still that strict look in his eyes.

He asked: ''What did you want to talk with me about, boy?''

Instead of a simple reply, I raised my left hand, the one with the Assassin sigil tattoo on the ring finger, and said:

''Shadow walkers and warriors of light are my friends!''

The old water bender's eyes widened when he saw my finger and heard my words. He raised his hand as well and said:

''The Spirits are with you, brother!''

He directed me to follow him. While we walked through the deserted alleys, he asked:

''What brings you to the Northern Water Tribe, Master Yulizan? Judging from your robe, you are a master, am I right?''

''Yes I am, Master Pakku. As you know, the boy you are teaching is the Avatar. I was chosen to be the Protector.''

The old man's eyes widened again when he heard my words.

I asked: ''Tell me Master, what was that dispute you had with the Avatar and the girl from the Southern Water Tribe about?''

''Well, as you probably know, the girl is blessed with the ability of water bending, but the old traditions of the North prohibit the teaching of the art to women.''

I was shocked: ''How come? I don't know of another tradition with such a significant focus on the gender. Don't forget, our order is very tolerant, many of the Old Masters were women.''

''I am well aware of our order's history, young master, but here, the Law of the North is in force and has to be followed.''

''Isn't there any other way to teach the girl the art of water bending? The Avatar looked like he wasn't able to concentrate properly without her in his environment, I don't want to risk it that the Avatar might not learn water bending and therefore fails his mission of restoring the peace!''

''Well, I sent the girl to the healers to learn the art of healing for now. But I really don't know about any other possibility to teach her the art.''

I thought and had an idea shortly after: ''I'm sure you know that in the order, it is common for our disciples to enter a fight against a master before they get promoted to their next rank. Do something like this. We both know that the girl already knows the basic forms of water bending, let her fight you, if she can validate her talent and actually defeats you, you have to commit yourself to train her alongside the Avatar.''

Master Pakku thought about my words and eventually made a decision: ''All right, so be it! Tell the girl about it when you return to your quarters, I will be so kind and give her time to prepare herself.''

''Thank you for your insight, Master, I will leave you now, may you walk in the shadows!''

''As may you!''

Thereupon I returned to the igloo, where I found Aang, Katara and Sokka sitting with sulking looks on their faces. I decided not to unleash unnecessary anger, that's why I kept my mood, which was actually pretty good, neutral.

I walked over to Katara and said: ''Katara.''

She looked up to me, that look still in her eyes:

''What?'', she asked snippy.

My answer was relaxed: ''I know about the dispute you and Aang had with Master Pakku.''

When I said the old master's name, Katara immediately wanted to clamor, but I raised my hand and she remained quiet.

I continued: ''I just talked with Master Pakku, he is ready to teach you and Aang together, under one condition.''

Suddenly, both Aang and Katara listened to me carefully. I finished my speech:

''You have to fight him in a water bending duel. Should you win, he will teach both of you.''

Katara looked shocked and unsure, she asked: ''And what if I lose?''

''Everything stays as it is. Master Pakku will continue to teach Aang, but you're not allowed to ask anyone here to teach you ever again.''

''And when is that fight supposed to happen?''

''Tomorrow at noon on the courtyard in front of the palace.''

At first, Katara was shocked again, then her face become determinate:

''Alright, I will show this old sack what I'm capable of!''

''That's the right attitude.''

I stood up again and headed for the exit again.

Aang asked: ''Where are you going again?''

''Got something to do!'', I said while exiting the building.

It was time for my date with Runa. I found the place we had met the night before pretty fast. Runa was waiting longingly for me. When she saw me, she ran towards me, threw herself at me and kissed me. I put her on the ground again and said:

''Not so fast, we still have the whole night ahead of us.''

She looked at me confused and asked: ''What do you mean?''

''Come on, I'll show you.''

I took her hand, led her through some alleys towards the outer parts of the city, the parts with less ice and snow. There was, all alone, a little hut made of straw, I had discovered it during my ramble through the city yesterday, I had checked it and learned that it was uninhabited at the moment. After meeting Runa, I had cooked up a plan which would unfold in this hut now. I lead Runa inside, everything was clad with cloth, furs and other things quite uncommon for a Water Tribe building. Runa looked around and asked:

''What do we want here?''

I quietly replied: ''Before your arranged marriage, I will show you the feeling of true love so you have witnessed it at least once.''

Runa's eyes widened when I grabbed her slim waist and pulled her into a light kiss. She closed her eyes and answered the kiss. I lead our closely entwined bodies towards the large bed in the middle of the hut. When we reached it, I put Runa down and then climbed it myself, still connected to her in the kiss. And so the night took its course. I showed Runa the feeling of true love, she enjoyed every second of it, I most likely gave her the most beautiful night of her life.

I woke up the next morning, Runa's little adorable head on my chest. She woke up shortly after and looked me in the eyes:

''That was just...amazing! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me this night.''

I kissed her tenderly instead of answering, but then I rose and started to get dressed again, I didn't want to miss the fight between Master Pakku and Katara under no circumstances. Runa followed my example and got dressed to, we left the hut together shortly after. I accompanied Runa back to the spot we had met. We kissed one last time, she said:

''I will always keep the memory of you in my heart, I swear that to you.''

Thereupon she returned to her home and I made my way towards the big courtyard.

I arrived just in time, Master Pakku and Katara already were about to begin the fight. I stood next to Aang who was eagerly waiting for the battle to start, which happened only seconds later. The water bending that followed was a true work of art, I was amazed that apparently Katara was stronger and better than I had seen it so far. She was able to keep up with the old master without many problems. The fight went into the length, it was balanced the whole time. Then the decisive moment came: With reflexes only a Assassin master could have, Master Pakku created a pyramid out of ice, trapping Katara and rendering her unable to move. That meant that Master Pakku had won the fight. Aang looked down to the ground depressed, I could feel his disappointment. Master Pakku was looking down too and picked up something. It was Katara's necklace, she had lost it in the fight. He looked at it closely and asked Katara where she got it from. Katara told him the same story she had already told me. After that, Master Pakku revealed that he was the one who once crafted the necklace as a betrothal sign for nobody else but Katara's and Sokka's grandmother. He freed Katara and apologized to her, he had no clue who she really was, he also said that he would now train her alongside Aang. The latter was very happy and I had to smile too, everything seemed to change for good. I looked to the side and saw Sokka together with the girl from the boat we had seen at our arrival. Aang had told me that she was Princess Yue, the chief's daughter.

''I'm not sure if Sokka actually has a chance with her...'', I thought and had to grin.

I went over to Pagan, rubbed his head before we watched Aang and Katara beginning their training together. With a feeling of easiness, I said:

''Pagan my friend, I think that good times lay ahead of us.''

I didn't know yet how wrong I actually was with that statement...

 **Next chapter: The Fire Nation attacks!**


	12. Attacks and Farewell

During the next days, our life at the Northern Water Tribe was relatively nice and calm. Master Pakku continued the training of Aang and Katara, the latter making a noticeably bigger progress than the young Avatar, which was probably due to the fact that she already had mastered the basics while Aang had to learn everything from the ground up, which looked like quite the challenge for him, the difference between water and air was bigger than he presumably had expected. Most of the time, I was simply watching the training, but one day Master Pakku wanted my assistance. The students' next lesson was to throw orbs of water on moving targets. The master asked me if I could bend some flames and send them into the air so they could be used as targets. Of course I followed the order and took my place a small distance away from Aang and Katara, sending a few small fire balls into the air, a couple of meters over my head. Shortly after, the water orbs came flying, I had to pay double the attention, on one hand, I couldn't let any of my fires that wasn't hit by the water drop to the ground, melting it, on the other hand, I didn't want one of the water orbsto hit me. I wasn't able to manage the second part, a water orb poured out right over my head. I was soaking wet, while Aang, Katara and even Master Pakku were laughing out loud. I ignored them and headed back to the igloo to dry up my clothes. I didn't have a complete second robe with me, but that was no problem. I would simply ignite a little fire, hang my robe over it and snuggle up into some blankets for the time being.

After arrived inside the igloo, I ignited a little fire at the provided fireplace, took a little metal hook from my bag, rammed it into one of the ice blocks that made up the ceiling, peeled out of my dripping wet robe and hung it onto the hook right over the fire. Fortunately, my undergarments had largely kept dry, only my cloth shirt had a few damp spots. I took off the shirt too, only wearing my cloth pants and my boots still. I was about to sit down on my sleeping bag when I heard someone entering the igloo. It was Katara. While still entering, she said:

''Yulizan! Are you alright? You walked away so suddenly, I thought maybe...''

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw my naked torso and the countless wounds and scars covering it. She let out a slight sound of shock, I tried to calm her down:

''Don't worry, I'm OK, I survived much worse, a little bit of water isn't going to kill me.''

She slowly regained her speech and said quietly: ''Your body! What happened to it?''

While she was still speaking, she walked towards me, her soft fingers tracing my chest.

I replied: ''Well, an Assassin's life is quite dangerous. Everything you can see here are relics of my training and all the fights I fought until now.''

She looked at my whole torso closely and said: ''You know, I now know more things about healing. I could try to heal those scars for you.''

I immediately replied: ''No! The wounds and scars on an Assassin's body speak of his experience and are a reminder of the hard work and mistakes during his training. They are a part of me and will stay forever.''

Katara nodded and then pointed to my right forearm. ''And what is it with this writing?''

''Every Assassin has to choose a creed to live his life after when he is awarded the title of master. This creed is then tattooed onto his weapon arm, to connect it with body and soul forever.''

''And yours is: Fighting is my destiny?''

''Yes, my life is all about fighting evil, I will never do anything else!''

Katara nodded again, then exited the igloo again, leaving me alone. I now laid down on my sleeping bag, taking a look at my robe which dried to itself and at the ceiling. Like most of the time, I thought about many things, until sleep took over my mind and body.

When I woke up again, I was still alone. I peeked over to the entrance, I saw that it was still daytime, I therefore hadn't slept for long. My eyes wandered over to the fireplace. The fire had become smaller in the meantime. I stood up, walked over and touched my robe, it was dry again. I put out the fire, took my robe and the hook and put the robe on again. After I was ready, I stepped out of the igloo where the shock struck me: It was snowing, but not ordinary snow, no, this kind of snowfall was black! Even though I never had seen this kind of snow personally, I knew what it meant from the order's scrolls: The snow was mixed with ash, turning it grayish to black. The cause for this were big emissions of soot and smoke into the air, which could only mean one thing in this case: Fire Nation ships were approaching the North Pole!

Shortly after Pagan landed right in front of me, he looked nervous. I asked:

''What is it, my friend? What did you see?''

Pagan replied: ''Large clouds of smoke can be seen at the horizon!''

That was all the dragon had to say, my suspicion was confirmed, the Fire Nation would attack the Northern Water Tribe. I walked over to Aang and Katara and wanted to tell them my new knowledge, when suddenly the deep sound of a large drum broke the silence. At once, all members of the Northern Water Tribe were walking towards the palace. Since we didn't know what exactly was happening, we just followed them. On our way, Sokka and Yue joined us, however, the princess walked away again shortly after, as it wasn't honorable for a princess to be seen alongside the common people in this kind of situation.

When we had reached the main hall of the palace, the chief was currently talking about what I already knew. He explained to his people that would be going to war now! However, the wise would ask the spirits of the moon and the sea for help. I was relieved, if the spirits would actually decide to help us, our chances would increase drastically. The chief was now searching for someone to conduct a very important mission. Sokka immediately volunteered and was chosen. My feeling told me that he would regret this decision.

After that, Aang talked to the chief, I didn't understand most of it, but apparently Aang wanted to fight to protect the people of the Water Tribe. They could on me in any case, if any Fire Nation infantry would make it into the city, they would be defeated by me! And Pagan was there too, the assistance from above. Suddenly there was a large bang heard outside, everybody started running out of the building. I immediately saw it when I reached the courtyard: Giant fire balls were launched at the city, the attack had begun! When another fire ball was flying right towards me, I intervened: I mobilized all of my strength and send an intense fire beam straight at the projectile, bursting it in the air and causing little chunks of fire to rain over the city. But even though I had stopped one fire ball, even more were always coming. I was looking for the rest of my friends when I saw Aang storming past me, mounting Appa and heading straight for the open sea. Aware that he was flying right into the beast's open mouth, I ran over to Pagan, jumped on and ordered him to follow Appa as fast as possible. The dragon shot up into the sky and gave chase of the bison.

Shorty after we saw the source of the bombardment, it exceeded my worst fears: About one hundred Fire Nation ships were heading towards the North Pole. I immediately was sure: We wouldn't stand the slightest chance in an open battle like this. But Aang begged to differ as it seemed. He used his glider and landed on one of the ships in the front, disposing of the crew and destroyed the catapults with help from Appa. But because of the sheer mass of other ships, this didn't make any kind of difference. The young Avatar seemed to realize the same, he and Appa returned to the city shortly after, me and Pagan followed.

The water benders were able to hold back the attackers, they retreated when the night broke in, apparently the Fire Nation was aware that the water benders were too strong during the night. Aang was exhausted and said that he would not be able to win this battle alone. But Princess Yue had an idea: She wanted to ask the spirits for help personally. But Katara was skeptical:

''How do you want to ask the spirits for help?''

Aang answered instead of the princess: ''All I would need is a place to meditate in peace, then I can get into the Spirit World.''

''Then I would propose the Spirit Oasis.'', Yue replied.

I asked: ''What kind of place is that?''

''A place of peace, where a pond is located in which two koi carps swim, the incarnations of the spirits of the moon and the sea.'', the princess explained.

Aang said excitedly: ''Then let's go!''

Yue wanted to lead us, but just when I wanted to follow her and the others, I saw someone standing in the distance.

I called after my friends: ''Go on, I will come after you!'' and walked over to my discovery.

She stood by one of the larger canals and watched the sea. Her long ponytail was shining in the light of the almost full moon.

I walked close to her and said: ''Runa!''

She turned around and looked at me. Tears welled up in her eyes, she walked up to me and hugged me tightly. The tears streamed down her face now, I loosened her grip and asked:

''What is going on? Why are you crying?''

She slowly regained her composure and replied, still sobbing:

''My fiancé! He found out!''

''Found out what?''

''About us!''

''But how?''

''He came to my house tonight, he said he didn't want to wait until the wedding, he wanted me now! I fought against it, but he was too strong. He pushed me down to the bed, did things to me. When he touched me, he realized I didn't have the feeling of a virgin anymore. He insulted me, hit me, so I ran away.''

I only realized now that she had a large red mark on her cheek. I traced it with my finger and then kissed it gently. I embraced the still crying girl and caressed her face and hair while saying:

''Don't worry, it's going to be alright, I'm here. He can't hurt you anymore.''

She continued sobbing into my robe, I tried to digest what I just had learned. How could a man be this ignorant and only see a woman as cheap property? If this guy would ever show his face to me! My thoughts suddenly became reality, when I looked over Runa's head, I saw a young man, about my age, coming around the corner, heading straight towards us.

While still walking he already shouted: ''Runa!''

The girl jumped, broke from my chest and hid behind me.

I whispered: ''Don't worry, I will protect you!''

I made myself as big and intimidating as possible, showing off my whole muscular build. The motherfucker that was Runa's fiancé headed straight for us. When he stood in front of me, even though he was a good head shorter than me, he said straight to my face:

''So it was you! You took her innocence from me! You will...''

Instead of letting him finish his sentence, I took him down with a single shattering punch. He cowered on the ground, holding his visibly bloody nose. I wasn't even waiting for him to say anything or getting back to his feet, but instead picked him up from the ground with ease, lifting him up a good one and half feet over the ground and then throwing him over my shoulder, right onto the hard ice ground. He screamed in pain when he hit the ground.

''You should be glad that I didn't use a lethal technique, you damn motherfucker!'', I thought while walking over to him.

He tried to crawl away from me, but I simply grabbed his foot, pulled him back, lifted him up again, pushed him against the closest building's wall and hold him in place with my right arm on his chest. I was almost smoking with rage when I said with my darkest voice:

''Listen up, buddy! You can call yourself lucky that you are still alive! I only let you live because you were promised to this beautiful girl seemingly wrongly as a husband. Remember the following, and remember it good: From now on, you will treat her like the wonderful woman that she is, you will be a good husband, always staying loyal to her and never treat her as your property again, understand?''

The young man was only able to nod slightly, but I wasn't finished.

''Good, because if you only make one mistake, I will find out, I will return here and...''

I extended my arm blade following my last word, it was only inches away from the fiancé's throat. He screamed in fear and nodded again. Then I let go of him. He sank to the ground, gasping for air. I went back to Runa who had done nothing but watch in shock the whole time. When her fiancé stood on his still shaking legs again and looked over to us, I said:

''Go home! I will bring her back in time!''

The young man ran away as fast as he could, without turning or looking back.

I turned back to Runa and looked her in the eyes. I scratched my head and said apologetically:

''I'm sorry, I kind of crossed the line back there, I didn't want to attack him this viciously, but...''

In the middle of my sentence, Runa put her lips on mine, I answered the kiss after a few seconds. So we stood there for a couple of minutes, kissing in the moonlight. When Runa broke the kiss, she said quietly:

''In two days, you did more for me than I could ever dream of somebody doing. How can I ever thank you for this?''

''By living a happy life. I'm pretty sure that after what I did, your fiancé is going to treat you like a queen.''

We both laughed, then I accompanied Runa to her home. When we arrived there, she said:

''I can't do anything but thank you again, for everything you did for me. I really hope that you will find your luck one day too.''

''Don't worry, I will.''

We shared one last kiss, then Runa entered her house.

I strolled back the way towards the big courtyard when my eyes went up to the sky: It started to dawn. Shock-like I realized: I had completely forgotten about Yue's guide to the Spirit Oasis, Aang could be in danger! I ran to the courtyard as fast as I could. While I was running I heard a large cracking and then breaking sound, the Fire Nation ship were slowly piercing through the walls. When I reached the courtyard, I saw Sokka and Yue climbing Appa, they were on their way back to the Spirit Oasis to look after Aang and Katara. I woke up Pagan who had been sleeping soundly until now, mounted him and told him to follow Appa. Even though the dragon had only been awake for a few seconds, he was ready immediately, shooting up into the air.

Shortly after we had reached the oasis. It was just as peaceful as Yue has described it. Grass and bushes were growing around the pond in the middle, it truly was a special place for its location so far in the north. But I could already see that something was wrong from a distance, because I only saw one person at the pond and to my horror it wasn't Aang but the stunned Katara. Pagan immediately landed, I asked the confused water bender:

''Where is Aang?''

Katara wasn't able to construct a reasonable sentence, instead only mumbled:

''Aang...Zuko...meditation...abducted...''

My worst fears had come true: Prince Zuko had been able to abduct Aang and I didn't have the slightest clue where they could be. Surrounded by Sokka, Yue and Katara, I collapsed to my knees at the pond, made fists with both my hands, pounding the grass before reaching up to the sky while screaming as loud as I could:

''AAAAANNNG!''

One thing was clear: We had to find him, as fast as possible! Otherwise, this battle and subsequently the world was lost!

 **Next chapter: Showdown!**


	13. Dark Moon Murder (Book 1 Finale)

During our flight searching for Aang, many things went through my head: I had neglected my duty as the Protector because of my emotions, even though one of the most important rules my master always taught me over the course of my training:

''Those who show emotions in battle and war show weakness, weakness leads to defeat, defeat leads to death!''

Because of me, Aang could possibly be dead, I would have failed my task, I would have no reason to live anymore, but above all I would have failed my family...No! That must not be! Aang was still alive! He had to be! I would find him and bring him back, even if I would have to face the whole Fire Nation army!

Meanwhile, our search had lead us into a strong blizzard, I pulled my hood and scarf as tight over my face as possible or the large amount of snowflakes would have sliced my face considering the high speed we were flying with. We continued flying, Pagan kept out his sharp dragon eyes for any sign of Aang and Zuko. But the more time passed, the more we lost our hope. Princess Yue tried to keep our mood positive by telling us that it was nearly impossible to escape through the pack ice. Thereupon Katara replied that her greater worry was not that Zuko could escape with Aang, but that they would both freeze to death in this weather. I shared Katara's opinion, even though Aang had been in a state of meditation at his abduction, nobody was able to survive this kind of weather, without the right equipment, without consequences. Sokka tried to look positively at our situation as well by saying that Zuko would be smart enough to keep himself and Aang save from this weather. But still, I kept a quite bitter taste in my mouth, the thought of Aang's death continued to haunt the back of my mind.

When the night broke in, our hope slowly died completely. While the weather had become a little better, we still had not the slightest sign of Zuko and or Aang. I was sitting on Pagan's neck unenthusiastically, nearly every kind of hope had left me. But my irrepressible Assassin will did not want to rest! Somewhere deep inside of me, a little spark of hope was still glowing. I took my mother's medallion, it was warm because of my body heat, I grabbed it tight, looked up to the night sky where the full moon sat enthroned over the stars and thought as hard as I could:

''Please! Help us!''

At first, nothing was happening, but after a few seconds, a gleaming bright beam of light shot through the sky, hitting the ground only a bit ahead of us. My mood brightened at once, I called to the others:

''That's it! That has to be Aang's spirit!''

I immediately ordered Pagan to follow the light, the dragon dove down, followed by Appa.

When we reached the ground, I noticed that the beam of light ended in a little cave from which a strong gust of air emerged at the same moment. Shortly after, Aang and Prince Zuko were laying in the snow. I immediately conjured fire in my right hand, ready to charge at the Fire Prince, but at the same moment Appa landed next to the cave, Katara jumped off and was faster than me. She threw Zuko into the air using a large amount of snow before dropping him back on the ground, rendering him unconscious. In the meantime, I had untied Aang's hands and feet. When the others were ready to head back to the city, Aang expressed his concerns for leaving Zuko out here in the cold alone and unconscious. After a short protest courtesy of Sokka, I took the prince's limp body, tied his hands and feet using a metal-enforced rope and put him on Appa's back. Thereupon, we made our way back to the city.

On our way, my thoughts changed back to the battle. How in the world should the water benders repulse the Fire Nation? To be fair, it was a full moon, a period where the water benders could reach the maximum of their power, but in my opinion they would not stand a chance nevertheless. While I was thinking, my eyes slowly moved to the full moon again, I was struck with shock when I saw that the moon had changed its color from white to blood red. I closed my eyes and tried to make it clear to myself: Something must have happened to the Spirit of the Moon at the Spirit Oasis, I could not think of any other reason for this horrible spectacle. I looked over to the others, Aang and Yue looked like they felt something as well, Yue was hit so strong that her body was affected by it. She told that the Spirit of the Moon had once given her life, she was born dead, but her parents had put her inside the Spirit Pond, offering her to the Spirit of the Moon, who thereupon had given her life and her name, while also changing the color of her hair from brown to white. I was moved by this story, mostly because I had experienced the Spirits' power in person, I had changed my life for their will. Whatever had happened to the Spirit of the Moon, it had been an act of endless cruelty!

When we finally reached the oasis, a horrible scene met our eyes: Admiral Zhao was standing at the pond, holding the white carp. Next to him was General Iroh, one of the most experienced and powerful members of the Fire Nation. As soon as we landed, Aang walked up to the Admiral and commanded him to free the carp, otherwise he would cause damage to the whole world. General Iroh confirmed the Avatar's statement and actually got ready for combat, he probably wanted to prepared for the worst case. I realized the great danger too and readied up, taking a throwing knife in my hand.

After minutes of silence, at least it seemed like that, Zhao looked like he was capitulating, putting the fish back in the pond. I stayed vigilant nevertheless, I felt that the great evil was still impending. And I was right! But what actually happened was worse than everything I had expected: Zhao shot a concentrated flame directly into the pond, killing the Spirit of the Moon! The sky darkened immediately, the moon had disappeared completely! I immediately jumped forward and threw my knife at the admiral. But because Iroh had started to throw flames at Zhao at the same moment, I only hit him in the shoulder. Zhao blocked nearly every flame Iroh threw at him and created a small cloud of fire himself. When it was gone again, so was the admiral. Iroh went over to the pond and retrieved the burned white fish. Yue sobbed:

''It's over! There's nothing we can do anymore!''

But suddenly, Aang started to change. His eyes and tattoos started to glow brightly, he talked with a monster-like voice:

''NO! THIS IS NOT OVER YET!''

Determined and like in trance he walked up to the pond and stepped into the water. What followed was breathtaking: The remaining fish started to circle Aang, increasing its speed drastically until Aang disappeared under the water. Shortly after, a thing as I had never seen before rose from the oasis. I didn't even knew how to describe it, but it was clear: Aang had become one with the Spirit of the Ocean whilst in the Avatar State! The water spirit left the oasis using a little river, heading straight towards the sea. I immediately realized:

''So it could work! The water benders may be without power because of the missing moon, but the Avatar is no ordinary water bender!''

I was sure that with the Ocean Spirit's power, Aang would be able to defeat the Fire Nation fleet. But now I had to concentrate on my new goal: I had to find Admiral Zhao and kill him! He would pay with his life for the crimes he had committed in this war, against the whole world!

I ran through the night dark, battle-marked alleys of the city. My throwing knife actually had been good for something, as it had made Zhao bleed, which resulted in a trail of blood on the ground, showing me the route he had taken. I kept running until I suddenly heard the noise of a fire bending duel. I had to provide myself a good overview, but how would I be able to get onto one of the houses? I would not find any grip on the slippery ice walls. That's when an idea came to my mind: I pulled my daggers, rammed them into the building's walls right in front of me and started using them as climbing picks. Shortly after I had reached the roof and looked down on the other side: Underneath me was a bridge on which Zhao and Zuko dueled!

''How was he able to free himself?'', I asked myself, but I had no time to think of an answer.

I watched the balanced duel for a couple of minutes when the decisive moment came: Zuko dropped his guard for a few seconds, giving Zhao the chance to gain the upper hand. He towered over Zuko triumphantly, ready for the final blow. That was my moment! I pulled my bow, took an arrow with a large steel head and jumped off the roof! During the jump, which appeared to me as much longer as it actually was, I nocked the arrow and shot it! It hit the admiral, who was readying up for the blow, right in his chest! The arrow penetrated it, ran through it and then reappeared at the back. Zhao stopped mid-punch and sank to the ground, cowering in pain! I landed safely in the meantime, walking up to the fallen admiral. He was still cowering when he looked up to me. When he saw my hooded face, which looked intimidating and terrifying in the darkness of the moonless night, his eyes went wide with shock. I grabbed his collar, lifted him up and pushed him against the edge of the bridge. With my darkest voice I said:

''Admiral Zhao! You have committed crimes against the entire human race and now the Spirits will judge you for that! You are only the first of many more to come! The whole Fire Nation will fall! This war will be ended, peace will return!''

After these words, I let go of him, took a step back and kicked the admiral in the chest with full force! He fell backwards over the bridge's edge, right into the Sea of the North. I saw him floating on the water, already dead, when suddenly a giant hand made from water appeared from the ocean, grabbing the admiral's body and pulling it underwater. I moved my eyes over to Prince Zuko, who had simply sat silently where he was the entire time. My sharp eyes locked onto him, he was a member of the faction, that was responsible for the chaos in the world, too, he deserved death equally as much! I extended my arm blade and started to slowly walk towards him. But while I was walking, I suddenly heard a voice in my head, loud and clear, I couldn't believe it at first, but it was my father's voice! He said to me:

''No! Let him live! He is an innocent victim of his actions, he will turn his back to the path of chaos, the Spirits have great plans with him!''

I thought about my father's words for a short moment before deciding to follow them, just as I had done when I had joined the order. I retracted my arm blade, gave Zuko a last dark look, then turned around and left the bridge.

While I was walking through the city, I realized that the battle was won! Aang really had made it, the Fire Nation army was defeated! I whistled, Pagan picked me up and brought me to the others shortly after. I heard of Aang's fusion with the Spirit of the Ocean, with his help, he had been able to defeat the fleet, but I also learned of Yue's sacrifice to bring back the Spirit of the Moon. Especially Sokka looked sad and depressed, the princess's death had been a hard bite for him to swallow. I left him alone with his grief, I knew the feeling all too well. I went back to Pagan, we looked towards the horizon together, watching the sun slowly rising.

The next morning, Master Pakku revealed his plans to travel to the Southern Water Tribe to rebuild it. I told him in private that he should make sure that the area would be build in a way that would make it easy for the order to watch over the city, something that would not be of any problem as he ensured me. When I asked him about Aang's water bending training, he told me that Katara had proven herself as worthy enough to be appointed the title of master, she now had the right to continue Aang's training. I was content with that and returned to my friends, who were standing on one of the palace's big balconies. We stood there all together and looked at the horizon.

I said: ''A lot of things have happened so far, I would say, there's definitely no boredom in this team, I now know for sure.''

We all laughed, then I asked: ''What is our next plan? I assume that we now have to find an earth bending teacher for you Aang, am I right?''

The young Avatar nodded and added: ''But there's still time with that.''

I agreed: ''That's right, and because of that...''

I whistled and Pagan appeared at the balcony, I mounted him. My friends looked at me confused, Katara asked:

''What are you going to do?''

''I will return to the Assassin monastery to meditate over the most recent events, also I will prepare for the following travels.''

Aang asked: ''And what if we need your help? How are you going to find us?''

''Don't worry, Pagan will fly freely during my stay at the monastery, he will keep an eye on you from the sky. If something happens, he comes and gets me immediately.''

My friends were reassured by that, I said goodbye to them and gave Pagan the signal for departure. While we were still pretty close over the city, I suddenly discovered something and told Pagan to stop one more time. Underneath us, on the roof of one of the many buildings stood Runa, waving at me. I waved back until we lost sight of ourselves. When that had happened, Pagan increased his flight speed, shortly after we had left the Northern Water Tribe behind us.

At the end of the day we had reached the monastery. Pagan dropped me off in the courtyard and then took off again immediately. I went into the temple, knelt down in front of the big sigil and started meditating. I thought over everything that had happened over the last weeks. Many things had happened but the most important: I had been able to eliminate the first important member of the Fire Nation's leading faction, the first step of a hard mission had been taken! But I felt it! I felt that this had only been the beginning of a long and hard adventure.

 **Next chapter: Fast as lightning**


	14. Electric Feeling

_(WARNING! Lemons/sexual content in this chapter!)_

I spent the next days with even more meditating, I tried to balance my body and my soul again, to get ready for everything to come. Pagan stuck to his mission and kept an eye on our friends during his flights. On the third day of my stay in the monastery, he brought the message that Aang, Katara and Sokka had left the Northern Water Tribe and were now heading towards an Earth Kingdom base. As they were escorted on the way there, I saw it as not dangerous and continued to focus on my meditation and my training. When I was not meditating, I practiced my fighting skills again and again, repaired my weapons and filled up my stock of arrows, knives and potions. One day, I left the monastery to search for herbs and to hunt animals in the surrounding area to fill up my food supplies as well. I wandered calmly through the nice countryside, collecting useful herbs which I then dried and conserved using a steam fabric. I also used my bow and arrow to kill some animals which gave good meat.

After I wandered for quite some time, my bag filled up nicely again now, I noticed that the sky started to darken, big grey clouds drew near.

''Oh good!'', I thought, ''it's been quite some time since I gave my lightning some freedom, this thunderstorm should be perfect.''

I looked around at my current location and discovered a small mesa, which was sticking out of the grassland quite noticeable, in some distance.

''That should be enough.'', I thought and started walking towards the mountain.

When I reached the bottom of the mountain, I looked for a way up, but I soon realized that I had to climb. So I grabbed a rocky ledge with both my hands and started climbing up the stony pile. Some sharp edged rocks cut into my hands, my robe and my face were pretty dirty when I finally reached the flat summit. The sky was completely grey now and there was a pretty stiff wind blowing, especially at the greater height I was in. As I felt the thunderstorm approaching very fast, I acted equally as fast: I removed my dirty robe and positioned myself in the middle of the summit, the wind whipped against the naked skin of my torso, but I didn't feel it or its cold, I was too concentrated already. I focused my complete internal flow on this mountain, this moment. I heard the first loud thunderclap and started. I extended my index and middle finger on both my hands, my arms started moving in circles, followed by my whole body shortly after. The whole principle of lightning generation was based on a complex sequence of movements which all had to work like a big single move for the lightning to be developed properly and not discharge too early. During their studies, the Masters of Old had discovered that is was possible to generate lightning relatively fast and unconventional in the middle of a fight, but this kind was a little weaker because the whole process of concentration was missing. The Masters had compensated this weakness of the ''Impulsive Lightning'', as it was called, by learning how to control the stronger purple lightning. Purple Impulsive Lightning was just as devastating as normal white lightning with concentration process. During my training, I had suffered from multiple burns on my whole body whilst training to control the lightning, as it was really extremely difficult to gain and keep control over them. But in the end, I had mastered the great power which I was about to set free, right here on this mountain! My movements started to become faster, I felt the tingling of electric charge running through my body, it wandered from my center over my torso into my right arm. I increased the movement speed to another level, the tingling became more intense with every second. After a good two minutes, I stopped my movements, thrust my arm out to the sky and let out a shout of power, as the intense purple lightning shot up into the grey sky. The wind whipped around me like there was no tomorrow, but I kept stand! The lightning unloaded into the sky for a good minute before it disappeared and forced me to my knees. It had been more tiring than I had expected, but it had been worth it! My body had felt that rush again, it was a good feeling. Normal lightning started to flash through the sky now, the thunderstorm had arrived. I knew that a proper thunderstorm would also bring rain, but I wasn't keen on becoming wet and soaked, therefore, I jumped back into my robe and climbed down the mountain hastily.

I was too far away from the monastery to reach it in time and I couldn't count on Pagan, depending on where exactly he was at the moment, it could take him about an hour to reach me. Fortunately I had discovered something on my way towards the mountain: A little lake, relatively close by, with a cave-like rock formation right next to it, big enough to set up camp underneath it. I started walking faster, I really didn't want to get into the rain. A couple of minutes later, I was already able to smell the rain in the air, I had reached the lake. I dived under the rock formation when the rain broke through and started pouring onto the countryside without restrains. I sat down and calmed down, I had made it, I was safe and dry.

For the next hours I sat there in the little cave, eating a little of the supplies I had collected and watching the rain pattering onto the surface of the lake. I thought about the others and what they were doing in this moment. As an answer, the pain in my left hand suddenly started again, my tattoo glowed bright red once again.

''Oh no! Aang has to be in the Avatar State, not good!''

Even though it would have been my duty to search for him immediately, I wasn't able to do so, I was trapped here you could say. Luckily the glowing and the pain stopped shortly after, I was relieved. As the rain was still coming down when the night broke in, I had no other choice but to spend the night here. I took off my robe, put down next to the little fire I had ignited not long ago alongside my weapons, took my mat, put it down and laid on top of it. The swooshing of the rain and the fresh air put me to sleep pretty fast.

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I noticed was that the rain had stopped. The morning was glowing bright and nice over the lake, everything look as peaceful as there had never been a thunderstorm. I stood up, stretched myself and started picking up my belongings. I put my robe back on and collected my weapons. When I was finished doing that, I realized it with shock: One of my katanas was missing! I had put them both on top of the folded robe the other evening, but now the left one was missing! I simply couldn't believe it, I actually had been robbed! But instead of getting infuriated, my thoughts immediately shifted towards the goal: Finding the thief and my sword!

When I stepped out of the cave I started looking around extensively. And I actually found something: On the moist muddy ground, there were footprints! I followed them a few meters until they apparently headed into the lake. I asked myself if the thief actually had swum through this little lake instead of simply walking around it. While I was thinking, I suddenly felt a light breeze and heard almost silent footsteps behind me. Instead of immediately turning around and attacking, I acted like I didn't notice anything, I wanted the intruder to feel safe. The steps started to come closer and closer, I could almost feel my assailant's breath in the back of my neck. With a Master Assassin's reflexes, I grabbed my remaining katana, unsheathed it, turned around in the same motion and attacked! A loud clinking sound erupted when metal met metal. I lifted my head to look into my assailant's face, but what I saw took me by complete surprise: The assailant was nobody else than June, the bounty huntress! I had to restrain myself otherwise my jaw would have dropped. She had that seductive smile on her face again, while we were standing there, sword to sword. That's when I finally noticed: The sword she was holding was my second katana, it had been her who stole it. She kept smiling and said quietly:

''Nice to see you again. I told you we would meet again.''

This time, I was prepared for her little games, I answered: ''And under this kind of circumstances too, I'm starting to believe that you have developed quite the interest for my sword, right?''

''More than you think...'', she purred and licked her lips.

I knew what this was leading towards, I tried to play along: ''You know, I have an interest too, for balloons!''

With these words, I removed my left hand from the handle of my sword, moved it onto June's left breast reflex-like and squeezed it. A small moan escaped her mouth, but she held her position. I smirked while my thumb started moving towards her nipple and massaging it through her light cloth top. She moaned again, louder already, but still managed to say:

''Oh, you want to play again? Then let's play!''

She suddenly pulled her leg back, my reaction came far too late when her right knee connected with the most sensitive part of my body. A nasty pain ran through my body, I was able to keep my sword up, it escaped my grip, I went down. Shortly after I was on my back once more, my wrists pinned down to the ground, June on top of me.

''Well, great!'', I thought to myself, ''she took you by surprise again, this should normally not happen to a Master Assassin!''

But at least I was immediately ready to take the initiative this time. Before June could even lower her head, I had already turned her around. I smirked, this time it was me who made the first move. I pressed my lips onto hers and immediately tried to enter her mouth with my tongue, she granted me entrance and started to explore my mouth with her tongue as well. Compared to last time, I decided to move things a little bit. Without breaking the kiss, I stood up, lifting up June as I did so, she pressed herself against my body, we started undressing each other. When we both were completely naked, I carried her, still pressed against me, over to the lake and stepped into it. The water was a little cold, but nice and clean. I put June down, standing in front of her inside the lake. I reached down and splashed her with water. At first she jumped a little, then she tried the same on me. After a few minutes both of us were completely covered with water. I went over to her and kissed her again, then my head slowly started moving downward. My first stop was her chest, I put my mouth onto her right nipple and started licking and sucking. She started moaning even louder than before, it was finest music to my ears. After a few minutes, I changed sides and started sucking on her left nipple. I also started using my right hand, I put it onto her right breast and started kneading and massaging it, while also shifting to the nipple sometimes. We both enjoyed it, I literally felt that in my whole body!

Eventually I went downward even further, my head was now on the same height as her dripping wet loins. I took two fingers from my right hand and slowly caressed first her mons, then a little further down until my fingers were ready to enter her. At first, I made slow back-and-forth movements, but increased my speed with every passing moment. Her face was filled with pleasure, I wanted to play with her as long as possible, therefore I removed my fingers after a few minutes and placed my mouth on her Holy Place. I explored every detail of the area with my tongue until I found the right spot. I licked said spot intensively, her face became even more filled with pleasure, I realized that she could not hold back any longer. After two more minutes, she reached her climax, arched her back and a large amount of warm and sticky fluid streamed into my face.

I looked up into her face and asked: ''Satisfied?''

Instead of answering she knelt down and grabbed my best man who had been in full size for quite some time now. She took him into her grasp and started stroking it slowly but steadily. I immediately felt the strong feeling of pleasure running through my body, it was wonderful as every time. I also felt the difference: June already had the experience, she knew certain tricks and techniques to create maximum pleasure. Runa on the other hand had most certainly been a virgin, since I had the initiative for nearly everything that had happened that night, but well, that night hadn't been for my pleasure, unlike this moment right now!

June had taken the next step in the meantime, he was now in her mouth. The feeling of pleasure was increased once more when I felt her warm smooth tongue. I had planned to last longer this time, which I did when I unloaded my seed into her mouth after ten minutes. She swallowed all of it, looked me in the eyes afterwards and said:

''You know what you have to do!''

She turned around and showed me her big well-formed bottom. I stepped behind her, took my best man and entered it at her Holy Place. Our union made us both moan, she continued when I started to thrust into her slow and steady. My thrusts became faster over time, after about ten minutes I turned her around, lifted one of her legs and started thrusting from the front. I once again saw her pleasure filled face, she had hold back her climax again. For me it was no difference, I increased the speed of my thrusts quite a bit and whispered into her ear:

''Together!''

All she could do was to nod slightly, but I understood. My thrusts became even faster and after three more minutes, we both reached our climaxes at the same moment!

After our little escapade, we stayed in the lake for some time, bathing together, when it started to become noon, I regained my focus, if I still wanted to reach the monastery today, I had to head off quite soon. I stepped out of the lake, dried myself up and put my clothes back on. June followed me shortly after. When she wanted to reach for my katana, which she had put down with her clothes, I looked at her with a smirk on my face, the sword in my hands already.

''No, no! This won't happen again!''

She smirked back and got dressed. We went over to the tree which she had tied her shirshu onto, then we said goodbye to each other. She mounted her animal and said:

''It was a pleasure once again. You know, you're possibly the toughest guy I've ever faced so far.''

''Well, that's just how I am, different than most guys.''

''Indeed. Good luck on your mission!''

With these words, the shirshu headed off with high speed. I looked after her and thought. Of course, she was one heck of a woman, she brought me pleasure like nobody or nothing else could, but she also wasn't the woman for a lifetime. When I thought about these words, it came to my mind more clear than ever before: Of course I wanted to have a family on my own one day, I only wasn't sure if I would ever find the right girl with the style of life I currently lived. I kept thinking about it during my way back to the monastery.

When I arrived there in the early afternoon, I only had time to sort and store my newly collected supplies before I heard the sound of mighty wings outside. I ran out to the courtyard where Pagan landed in the same moment.

''What is it, my friend?''

''It's the Avatar! He and the others went back to Omashu.''

''And?''

''The city has been conquered by the Fire Nation!''

I was immediately alerted! Since I already had everything I would need with me, I jumped onto Pagan's neck and called:

''Go, go! We have to get there as fast as possible!''

Pagan shot up into the sky and started heading east, right towards Omashu, I prepared myself for a hard battle!

 **Next chapter: Team Avatar vs Team Azula**


	15. Team Against Team

Pagan was rushing over the Earth Kingdom territories towards Omashu with high speed while I got ready to fight: I sharpened my blades with a volcanic stone, clamped a new string into my bow and crossbow, adjusted the throwing knives' center of gravity and occasionally shot little blasts of fire into the air. I was most definitely prepared!

After a few hours we flew over the last pair of hills before we finally saw the huge city in front of us. But it wasn't the splendid and noble it used to be on our last visit. The city's color scheme had changed from the nice and clean sand brown, which was still present in the mountains surrounding the city, into a weak and dull grey, the walls were covered with countless Fire Nation flags and there were smoke trails emitting from nearly everywhere in the city. The city had fallen! I was actually speechless, it was a terrible sight. Something has to be done as fast as possible, I said to myself, the Fire Nation had to be driven out of the city!

I told Pagan to camouflage and to start circling over the city for the time being, I wanted to observe everything very precisely and plan my next steps. Nothing special happened for quite some time, just usual city life, under the Fire Nation's control of course. But then something started to happen: Out of nowhere, masses of Earth Kingdom inhabitants appeared on the streets, they walked very slow, it was almost limping, towards the city's main gate, without any Fire Nation soldier trying to stop them.

''What is that all about?'', I said out loud while taking my telescope, looking at the people more closely.

At first, I noticed nothing except the limping walk, but then discovered that most of them had strange red spots on their faces.

''Oh no! I hope this doesn't mean that there is a plague in the city!''

Before I could continue my observation, Pagan suddenly changed direction mid-flight, it happened so hastily that I almost fell off the dragon's neck!

''Hey! What was that? Are you trying to kill me?''

''I'm sorry, but I discovered something you have to see!''

''Well, at least tell me when you're about to change directions or otherwise I will fall off one day!''

Pagan flew a little away from the city and then pointed down with his claw. That's when I saw it too: A big camp filled with many Earth Kingdom inhabitants. I took my telescope again and started observing again. I saw two guys rubbing their faces with pieces of cloth while laughing, that's when I started realizing: The plague had been fake to create safe passage out of the city. I slightly clicked with my tongue, very smart, I had to admit. But what I discovered next was even more interesting: In the camp, I saw Aang, Katara and Sokka walking around.

''Alright, they're safe, but what are they doing down there?''

I was about to instruct Pagan to land so I could talk with the three, but in the same moment, a hawk passed me, a scroll attached to his leg, and landed in the camp.

''A messenger hawk? What did they do that it requires official attention?''

Instead to telling Pagan to land, I grabbed the telescope again and looked down. Aang had taken the message from the hawk and started reading it. I changed the telescope's level of zoom so I could read it too. Apparently, the son of the Governor of Omashu had followed the mass of people leaving the city, they thought that he had been abducted. The Governor was willing to exchange his son for captured King Bumi. The negotiation parties would meet tomorrow morning at the scaffolding in front of the statue of Fire Lord Ozai in the middle of the city to perform the exchange. My plan was now clear to me: Me and Pagan would circle the place of the trade and then interfere when things would get out of hand, which I was pretty sure was going to happen. I told Pagan to leave the camp and look for a place where we could stay for the night.

I woke up just in time the next morning. I got ready for battle once more, it was almost guaranteed now that I would have to fight. I checked all my weapons multiple times to make sure they would work without any problems. With a serious and determined look on my face, I pulled the hood over my head, went over to Pagan and said:

''It's time!''

The dragon had understood, I mounted him, we started heading back to the city, straight towards the meeting point at the statue.

When we arrived, neither negotiation party was present yet, but we were fairly early too, I didn't want to miss any decisive moment. We circled camouflaged over the large Fire Lord statue.

I took a sinister look at it and thought: ''Soon...''

After a couple of minutes, which seemed fairly long to me, something finally seemed to happen down in the city. I looked down and discovered my three friends as they were walking to the middle of the place where the trade should happen. Another few minutes later, the second party arrived, but my breath stopped for a second when I saw who was leading them: It was Princess Azula of the Fire Nation! I heard so much about the sadistic acts this young woman had performed that it wouldn't fit on the longest scroll in the world. I focused my thoughts stronger than already, this fight would be even more intense than I had thought so far. I had the chance to kill Azula right here right now, that would be a very hard task, but would bring me one step closer to my main goal. I didn't know the other two girls that were accompanying the princess, but I noticed that one of them was very pretty: Her long brown hair, the wide red robe, it all went perfectly with the lively but serious look on her face. But I was drifting away, this time my emotions would not hold me back during the fight! If the Spirits would demand it, all three girls would die!

The negotiations were starting, I didn't exactly hear what they were talking, but I understood the context. Azula commented on the unfairness of the trade, an infant for a old powerful earth bender. It was this statement alone that was enough to convince the other girl who had negotiated, she called, loud enough for me to hear it clearly, that the trade was cancelled. The next thing I saw was that everybody readied up for battle, that was my signal!

I said to Pagan: ''My friend! The time is now! We have no more reason to be quiet, so let's how them that we're here! Show them all your strength!''

Pagan had understood and let out a deafening roar, in the same moment I jumped off his neck and dove down towards the ground head first! Despite the big height Pagan had been in, I landed elegantly and safely right next to Aang, Katara and Sokka. I smirked when I saw Azula and the other girls standing there, mouths agape, I said:

''The cavalry's here!''

Aang, Katara and Sokka cheered a little when they saw me. Azula, now making an unimpressed face again, stepped forward and said:

''And who exactly are you, you bigmouthed rescue team?''

I took a step forward as well and replied just as unimpressed: ''I'm your doom, princess!''

She laughed out loud and said: ''You think you can scare me? Very funny!''

With these words, she summoned two blue flames in her hands and launched them towards me. But instead of dodging, I calmly stayed where I was standing and caught the flames out of the air, leaving Azula with shock on her face. I laughed, clenched my hands to fists and quenched the blue flames like they were candles.

I said: ''Whoa! Not bad, but not as good as this!''

I created a white flame in my right hand, which caused Azula's face to shift into shock even more. I looked into the fire in my hand, then back to Azula and asked:

''Scared, princess?''

''You wish!'', she screamed, ''Mai! Ty Lee! Attack!''

After that, the other two girls rushed forward while my three friends joined me for the battle!

I ran towards Azula, but before I could reach her, the pretty girl tackled me to the side. I saw her from near for the first time now, she was even prettier than I had realized from the distance. Even though she now looked courageous and determined, I still saw the lively in her face and I liked it. But when she attacked me, I concentrated again. I had seen that Aang had chosen the battle with Azula while Katara and Sokka were trying to fight Mai, the third girl of the group, it looked like I was settled to fight Ty Lee, that was her name which I found very beautiful by the way. To my surprise she didn't wield any weapon, but instead was simply fighting with her bare hands. Fight same with the same, I thought, therefore I didn't use my weapons and relied on my fire bending. I attacked first, enveloping my fist in a flame and striking her. But she simply dodged. I tried it again multiple times and also added some fiery kicks to the mix, every try was a miss, she really was very fast! As I became a little exhausted because of the many missed attacks, she was able to attack me, I still kept up my defense despite the exhaustion. She rushed around me in circles, pressing many different spots on my body with her fingers: My forehead, my shoulder, my chest, my wrist, my thigh and many more. That's when I recognized the pattern:

''Ah, chi blockade! Well, tough luck girl, this won't help you against me!''

The chi blockade was intended to stop and block the chi, every bender's internal flow of energy, eliminated any chance to bend for a short period of time. But the Old Masters once had discovered a special plant which had the effect to quicken the flow of the chi without harming the body's health. During the education, every Assassin in training had to brew himself a special tea using this plant as an ingredient and then drink it to unfold the effects inside the body. The fast chi flow was unstoppable, the Assassins were able to bend the whole time, even if they were facing someone using chi blockade, like I did right now.

When she had finished her attack, she took a few steps away from me and called:

''Come on! More fire, try it!''

I said: ''If you want!''

She smirked, but I smirked back even wider. Her face turned confused and then shocked when she saw one of my white flames flying straight at her, she was only able to save herself with a jump to the side. She was lying on the ground and looked at me aghast.

I continued to smirk and said: ''Not with me, beauty!''

I placed my foot on her chest, summoned another flame in my hand and raised it, ready for the final strike! The girl closed her eyes in mortal agony, but suddenly, I heard my father's voice in my head again:

''No! Don't kill her! She is not a bad person, the princess forces her to do this! She can make good things happen to the world, you will play a pivotal role in her life!''

I was even more shocked than the first time I had heard my father's voice. Good, maybe she really wasn't a bad person, I could believe that, but how exactly should I play a pivotal role in this girl's life? Sure, I found her pretty and stuff, but... No! My father was talking about...? I couldn't believe that! I was in such a shock that removed my foot from the girl's chest without realizing it, she jumped back to her feet and ran away alongside her friend, who had just been disarmed by Sokka. Still in light shock, I went over to Katara and Sokka, who ran past me shortly after, calling:

''Come on, we have to catch up with Aang!''

That's when I realized that the young Avatar wasn't on the place anymore. Hit with this realization, I started running behind Katara and Sokka through the streets of the city.

We eventually found Aang safe and sound on a little market place, alongside King Bumi, who was trapped in some kind of metal casket. He was telling Aang that he should wait for the right moment before acting, this had also been the reason why he had surrendered to the Fire Nation voluntarily, he knew that the right moment for him to conquer back the city will eventually come. He also said that Aang's earth bending teacher could only be somebody who had completely mastered this philosophy. After that, he said goodbye to us and started bending his casket up one of the many slides of the Omashu Mail System. Aang told us that there was nothing to do for us in Omashu for now, we would go searching for an earth bending teacher for him somewhere else. Shortly after, we sat on our transport animals and left the city behind.

 _ **-POV change-**_

On a street in the Earth Kingdom, not far from Omashu, a palanquin moved along the path, inside were Princess Azula and her best friends Mai and Ty Lee. They talked about their fight with the Avatar and his team a few hours ago.

''So what exactly did the guy in the hood do?'', Azula asked Ty Lee.

''I don't know. I blocked his chi like I do it every time, but it just didn't work!''

Azula frowned and said: ''However he did it, it means that he is way more powerful than we might think, I mean, did you ever see white fire before? Who did he do that?''

Her friends shook their heads, Azula shifted back to her focused face:

''It doesn't matter who he really is or how powerful he might be, he is now one of our targets alongside my brother, my uncle and the Avatar! We will find him, rip the hood of his head and then disfigure his pretty head!''

Azula started laughing maliciously, Mai and Ty Lee looked at each other fairly concerned. What kind of crazy plan they got involved with this time?

 **Next chapter: The Swamp**


	16. Swampy Hallucinations

Without any kind of set destination, we continued to fly over the grounds of the Earth Kingdom. Normally I would have asked for what exactly we were searching, but as I already knew the reason per se, all I did was sitting on Pagan silently, rearranging my thoughts. I had to think about Ty Lee, the girl I had fought in Omashu, the entire time, I couldn't get the image of her face out of my head. I didn't know what was happening with me, I mean sure, I've always had a good connection with the opposite gender, but this was something completely new, I wasn't able to think about anything else and the whole time my father's words kept echoing in my mind:

''You will play a pivotal role in her life!''

What did he mean with that? I had found an answer fairly fast, but that simply couldn't be, on the other hand, why should my father be wrong? He had already been a very wise man during his lifetime, now in death his knowledge must have grown even more. I also had set myself the goal to not let my missions be influenced by my feelings and emotions anymore, but that would be harder than I thought if I wouldn't be able to calm my mind soon.

While I continued thinking about how my future could look like, we were flying over a giant swamp area. There was nothing but little trees and murky water for miles beneath us. I suddenly noticed that we were flying much lower than a couple of minutes ago.

I asked Pagan: ''What's going on? Why are we flying so low all of a sudden?''

''It was Appa who started flying this low, all I did was following him.''

I looked over to the bison and asked Aang: ''Is there a certain reason why you're letting Appa fly this low?''

Aang answered: ''It's the swamp. I have the feeling that he is calling me.''

How should a swamp be able to call somebody? On the other hand, the Avatar differed from ordinary humans, he heard and saw things nobody else could, that's why I didn't question Aang's word any further. Sokka however said:

''Even if the swamp is actually calling you, how do you want to answer? Look down, there's not a single spot for us to land safely!''

I agreed with Sokka, at least Appa would have no chance to reach the swamp without problems. Pagan would certainly be able to wriggle through the tree crowns, but he'd never be able to transport all of us, he was trained to carry not more than two persons at the same time, more passengers would result in his flight becoming uncontrolled and unstable. When Aang already had made the decision to simply continue flying, something unpredictable happened: Suddenly, a giant tornado emerged from the sky into the swamp! And we were flying directly towards it!

I shouted at Pagan: ''Quick! Turn around!''

The dragon immediately followed my word, turned around and rushed into the other direction with full force! We made it just out of the whirlwind's suction radius, the others weren't so lucky. Appa got caught in the tornado's airflows, got sucked in and ultimately thrown into the swamp. I watched the horror play from a distance, when the bison disappeared in the swamp and the tornado had dissolved shortly after, I ordered Pagan:

''Go! Down there quick! We have to find and help them!''

The dragon immediately shot towards the ground, heading straight for the tree crowns.

Shortly after, we broke through the many rotten and damp branches of some trees, stopping just before hitting the wet ground. Pagan landed gently on the swampy ground, I dismounted him and was glad that my boots were high on the one hand and made from fine fire-boiled leather on the other hand, because the mud splashed into the air several feet when I touched the ground. I looked around: At first glance, it looked like an ordinary swamp area: many small trees, standing very close together, with big thick roots, the ground was mostly muddy, there were deep puddles in many places, even some little lakes had developed. However, the most conspicuous and also most unendurable thing was the weather: It was very hot, typical for a swamp, but that wouldn't have been a problem for me, the fire bender, if it wasn't for this unbelievable high humidity! Only minutes after our landing, I was sweating so strongly that I had to take off my hood, dark welding spots appeared on my robe under my armpits. I only was able and also only wanted to stay in this conditions just as long as it was necessary, that's why I told Pagan:

''Well then, let's start our search. Try to move very slowly and watch where you're treading or what you're touching.''

Pagan retracted his wings as close as possible and followed me through the swamp's maze.

We wandered through the swampland for some time, we occasionally encountered passages that looked impassable at first, we were always able to overcome them with a little weapon usage or fire. I kept my eyes open the entire time, one could never know what kind of danger could lurk behind the next tree, especially in territories as unclear as this one. The only sound always echoing through the humid air was the splashing of mine and Pagan's footsteps when we were crossing a more watery area again. Even though I felt no fear, the whole swamp area still didn't feel quite safe to me. I constantly had the feeling that we were being observed by something and according to my feeling, it was quite possible that this thing not necessarily had to be human, the whole swamp had a very mysterious, almost supernatural vibe to it. When the night broke in a couple of hours later we still didn't have any sign of our friends. I already had told Pagan that we wouldn't set up camp or anything by no means, it definitely wasn't safe enough in this environment. To be able to see better in the progressing darkness, I took a phial filled with a purple liquid from my bag and drank the content. It was a night vision potion, it adjusted a human's eyes to those of an owl so one was able to see like during the day even in the most intense darkness. Pagan had adjusted his eyes for the night too, the bright luminous green looked pretty natural in the swamp's environment. But we weren't able to find any of our friends during the night either.

The next morning we were still walking, more tired but still focused. Nevertheless, I had to take a break some time later. I leaned against a tree trunk that looked safe, took two pieces of meat from my bag, gave Pagan one of them and ate the other one myself. Freshly strengthened, we continued our search a few minutes later, but after a few hundred meters I stopped again. My foot had hit against something. I looked to the ground and saw five strange ball-shaped things scattered in front of my feet. I wasn't able to recognize what exactly they were, they looked like rocks or big swamp fruits. I wanted to know exactly and picked up the thing my foot had hit, looking at it closely. But what I saw gave me the shock of my life! It was so bad that I dropped the thing and tumbled backwards several steps, it was thanks to Pagan that I didn't fell into the morass. After he had put me back to my feet, he asked:

''What is it?''

I was at a loss for words, went over to the thing I had picked up, picked it up again and looked at it one more time, to make sure that it actually was what I had seen the first time. To my horror it still was the same: I was actually holding my father's severed head in my hands! His glassy eyes had no pupils, instead they were completely white, his mouth was wide open, like he was screaming. I was staring at this scene in my hands completely aghast, I couldn't and didn't want to believe it! My shocked eyes wandered over to the other four things scattered close by. Even though I could of what they were, I still went over and picked all of them up individually. My sad guess proved to be correct: They were the heads of my mother and my siblings, they all made the same face as my father's head, it was a face that was practically screaming:

''Help us! We're dying!''

When all the heads were back lying on the ground, I sank to my knees, my hands dug into the muddy ground, tears started welling up in my eyes, I wasn't fighting them, they ran over my face in big streams. The memory, it returned to my inner eye, started chewing on my nerves once again, but I didn't let it conquer me once again! I was strong! I wouldn't break from this kind of thought manipulation! Whatever was going on in this swamp, I would overcome it!

Armed with new courage, I rose again and looked over to the heads and was shocked once more: They suddenly weren't heads anymore, but big green fruits, just I expected at first. This swamp slowly really started getting to me, I asked myself what the others had experienced. Nonetheless, Pagan and I continued our way, we were hoping that we would find our friends soon. About half an hour later we encountered a wall of lianas. I didn't have to think for long, pulled one of my katanas and cut through the creepers' rows with a single blow. But what was behind that wall was way more cheering that expected: Aang, Katara and Sokka were all standing on a large clearing. I was very happy that I had found my friends again and walked over to them. They were also happy to see me and started telling me about the strange things they had seen. I told them about my family's heads, we recognized a pattern: Me, Katara and Sokka all had seen dead loved ones, while Aang affirmed that he had never seen the girl that had appeared to him before. Nobody of us others understood that vision either.

While we were still talking, I suddenly felt a strange big presence close to our location. Just when I was about to tell my friends about it, a large creature suddenly broke from the swamp's thicket! It looked it was completely made out of vines and lianas, the massive body was completed by two long arms. It let out a high-frequency scream and charged at us! My hands immediately shot up, I threw a fire beam at the monster which burned a large part out from its body. But instead of going down in pain or the like, new vines just started growing at the burned spot like nothing had happened. I continued my flame assault, Aang and Katara also started using air and water against the monster. But whatever we tried, the monster was always repairing itself, we weren't able to significantly injure it. That's when I realized that I had to bring out the big weapons. I let out two short whistles, the signal for immediate attack by Pagan! He shot to the front and spew a fire beam at the monster's right arm which got completely burned in the process. I grabbed both my katanas, charged at the monster, jumped on its arm and sliced through the burned vines. I had cut off the monster's arm in no time, to make sure it wouldn't grow back I ignited a fire at the place on the body where the arm had been growing, the spot burned out completely. Now the monster wasn't able to grow another new arm. I jumped back down and ran over to my friends. Aang and Katara continued to shoot water blades at the monster which noticeably started getting weaker, the final blow was not far away. Without much thinking, I grabbed my bow and a special arrow with a head that was filled with explosive black powder. I nocked the arrow, aimed, while Aang and Katara continued to distract the monster, and shot the arrow right into the monster's ''face'' which burst with a little cloud of fire when the arrow hit.

Thereupon the whole monster collapsed and revealed something: An old man, clad in nothing but a loincloth. He introduced himself as Huu and said that the swamp had chosen us, he only attacked us because Sokka and I had hurt the swamp with our weapons. He lead us to a giant tree in the middle of the swamp and told us that he had reached enlightenment underneath this tree. He had realized that everything is connected with each other, everything is transitory. The swamp showed that by creating visions of beloved dead people. I thought about my own experience and vision, of course, some years had already passed since my family's death, but it still hurt when I thought about it. I tried to understand Huu's words. And he was right: One day, I would also fade away from this world, only to be reunited with my family. But no matter, in life or in death, they are always by my side, I already had experienced that when I had heard my father's voice.

Shortly after two other swamp benders arrived, Huu's friends, they had Appa and Momo with them. Happy that we were all together again, we decided to catch up the lost time and continue our journey immediately. For farewell, Aang asked Huu about the girl he had seen in his vision, as he didn't know her. Huu answered that Aang would meet her sometime in the future. Just like Aang, I was happy now, because we finally had some kind of goal again: Finding that girl, maybe she could help us on our main mission.

Some minutes later, we were flying again and I was back where I had been before: Thinking about Ty Lee. What was this all about? I couldn't think about almost nothing but her lively pretty face. And...in my heart, I felt the wish to see her again, under more pleasant circumstances.

''Come on! She's the enemy, stop it!'', I thought, but in my heart, I felt that I would follow my feelings and wishes sooner or later.

 **Next chapter: A macabre method**


	17. Intensive Negotiations

After the events in the swamp, the following time of our journey went back to being relatively unspectacular. We continued travelling through the Earth Kingdom, still with no real progress however. I started doubting if we actually would make a real success again, I was longing for any kind of progress. But then I always remembered something from my training: Power can also come with patience, that's why I continued to just letting things happen the way they did.

One morning, in our little camp, we woke up because of Sokka screaming loudly, Momo had woke him up. I grinned and thought to myself:

''He should really start working on his temper, all of this fuss he's always making can't be healthy for him.''

When Aang and Katara had also woken up, I suddenly felt something approaching us.

I said: ''Guys! Get ready, something's about to happen!''

Only seconds after I finished speaking it already happened: Five soldiers riding on komodo rhinos emerged from the forest and surrounded us completely! We had to flee as fast as possible, the others realized this as well. I took it upon myself to distract the attackers, I already had a plan for that: I first shot a fire ball at each of the five to disorient them. While Aang, Katara and Sokka started packing and storing their things on Appa's saddle in a hurry, I jumped into the air, started rotating around my own axis and hurled a little globe filled with black powder at each of the attackers. When the globes hit the ground, right in front of the rhinos, and broke, a thick black smoke emerged from them, completely enshrouding the attackers, leaving them no chance to attack us. I landed safely on the ground again, yelled at the others to hurry, grabbed my mat from the ground and jumped onto Pagan, who immediately shot up into the air, Appa close behind.

After we had evaded our attackers without major problems or losses, we landed close to some villages some time later, Aang and Katara wanted to buy new supplies. While we were walking past the many different stands and stores, one merchant told us of the ''Avatar Day'' which was currently celebrated in a village relatively close by. All of us found this new knowledge quite interesting, we decided that we would go and take a look at this festival.

We made our way to the village, which really was close by, and seemed to arrive just in time for the festivities, many people were already out on the streets. While we followed the masses, we discovered the evident main attraction of the festival: Several big statues, depicting the Avatars Kyoshi, Roku and even Aang himself, were rolled through the streets. I was impressed and positively surprised, I liked it that there still seemed to be some people in the world who were properly acknowledging the Avatar. We followed the statue parade towards a bigger piazza where they eventually stopped. We asked ourselves what would happen next, but what actually happened shocked us all: An older man stepped on the piazza, right in front of the statues, he was holding a torch in his hand. And he was throwing said torch right at the statue of Avatar Kyoshi which immediately burst into flames! I could not believe it, what was this about? The crowd was cheering loudly and yelled:

''Down with the Avatar!''

The first torch was soon followed by a second one, it ignited the statue of Avatar Roku. When a third torch flew through the air and landed right in the eye of Aang's statue, we finally had seen enough! Katara squeezed herself through the crowd, jumped onto the piazza, grabbed two orbs of water from a fountain mid-jump and extinguished the burning statues. Aang took it upon himself to save his own statue from the flames. The people started protesting that we were destroying their festival. Aang, who was standing on the shoulder of his statue, said loudly:

''We have a good right to it!''

and took off the bowl hat he had been wearing until now to hide his tattoos. The people were shocked and started cowering on the ground, she really looked to be afraid of Aang.

A man stepped out from the crowd, he was unsympathetic to me from the first sight I took of him, his whole appearance was that of a rigid bureaucrat, he was a guy with whom one could not negotiate fair and peacefully, I could tell that from my own experience with people from this kind. He told Aang that he wasn't welcome in this village and should leave immediately. That's when I stepped forward and said to the man:

''And what exactly gives you the authority to give orders to the Avatar? You have to respect what the Avatar does for the world and its people!''

The man replied snootily: ''And who are you to tell me what I have to do? You should better go back to your abbey and pray for a better life, boy!''

Did this codger just called me a monk? It was a huge insult for an Assassin to be equated with a spiritual, of course, our opinions were similar, but we had differed in the execution of our destiny from time immemorial. I was about to ram my blade right into the man's face, but once again Katara held my back, as Aang picked up the word again:

''And why exactly am I not welcome here?''

The codger, who by the way had revealed himself as the village's mayor, even though it was cryptic to me how a guy like him had managed to become the spokesperson of such a big community of people, explained, that Aang, in his former life as Kyoshi, had killed the founder and leader of this village, a man called Chin. Aang wanted to clean his name and therefore agreed on court proceedings, a statement he probably should have thought about twice before saying, as he was arrested and taken to prison, and we didn't have enough money to buy him free.

Now we were sitting in quite the mess! I had already told Katara and Sokka that it wasn't worth negotiating with the mayor, we most likely wouldn't get anything out of that. Before he had been lead away, Aang had been able to tell us that we should look for evidence for the villagers' accusation, that's why we now were at the edge of the village where a little temple was standing right at the steep coast, in front of the building was a statue of Chin, the founder of the village, who allegedly had been murdered by Avatar Kyoshi. The mayor stated that Kyoshi had run out of the temple and cut down Chin. The statue had been set up after his death to honor the man. Sokka and I both had a closer look at the statue and the temple, we looked for something anomalous. After some time, we both came to the same resolution at the same time: The statue was made from the same stone as were parts of the temple, it actually wasn't possible that the temple had already been built when Kyoshi allegedly killed Chin. But of what purpose should this finding be for us? While I was thinking about other possibilities there were for us to help Aang, Katara and Sokka decided to fly to Kyoshi Island to search for first-hand evidence. I decided to stay in the village, on the one hand that Aang had not to stay here alone, on the other hand to search for more evidence or something similar.

I wandered through the village, the villagers always gazed at me with hostile eyes, but I didn't care. I left the village to discuss the whole situation with Pagan. When we were sitting a little outside of the village on a meadow, we both thought about the matter.

''What could I do to help Aang? I can't think of anything, and also, those villagers are very hard individuals, you really can't negotiate with them, even under circumstances this extreme!''

''And you really haven't discovered any weakness they possibly have? Isn't that usually quite the good tactic?''

My face lit up abruptly. My dragon friend was right! An important Assassin rule was:

''If you are facing a superior might, always seek for weak points, even the tightest web has a hole somewhere, when you have found that hole, victory is almost yours!''

I rubbed Pagan's snout and said happily: ''Thank you, my friend, I sometimes don't know what I would do without you.''

''You definitely wouldn't travel around the world this much.''

We both laughed at that, then I headed back to the village and started my search for holes in the web.

So I wandered through the village again, my eyes on the inhabitants more closely this time. Even though most of them didn't seem to have any kind of specialties or problems, one thing was common among them all: A very close community feeling. Almost nothing happened without everybody agreeing on the decision, the people were really close to each other. Was this the fact I was looking for? I decided to keep it in mind and search for other possibilities. When I walked through a narrow alley, where currently no other people were, I suddenly heard voices speaking. I quickly hid in the shadows of a house entry and waited. Shortly after, two persons passed me: One of them was that codger of a mayor, the other person was his wife, as I heard from the conversation they were having when they passed me. He seemed to really love his wife, as he was constantly placing little kisses on her cheek. I suddenly started grinning broadly, a plan had come to my mind for the case that things would get out of control. The plan was very macabre and brutal, but sometimes things like that were necessary to achieve certain goals.

Sometime later, Katara and Sokka returned, they had brought back some very useful information from Kyoshi Island. When they told me the information, I became confident, that we would have good chances to win this case, as well. This confidence however was shattered like a mirror only shortly after, because the mayor explained to us that justice in this village didn't make use of evidence or something like that, two versions of the story would be told, one by each party, after that, the jury, also just the mayor himself, would decide which party was right and sentence the opposite. When I heard that, I was about to strangle the codger with his own intestines! How in the world was something like allowed to be called justice? He became clear to me: Even with the evidence Katara and Sokka had brought back, we wouldn't be able to win even a plant pot, so I would translate my plan into action, I only had to wait until just before the trial.

The trial was held the next day. When the people swarmed through the streets towards the temple yard, where the trial was held, I was sitting in a backstreet well hidden and watched the whole scene. I was waiting for the mayor and his wife. They were among the last to walk towards the temple a couple of minutes, when they passed me, I started my action. I snuck behind them silently, and luck was on my side, because the mayor started walking faster shortly after, moving away from his wife, since he really had to arrive at the trial in time.

''That's right, old codger! Run to your little trial, you will get the shock of your life in a few minutes!'', I thought and laughed maliciously internally.

I looked around one last time, to check if there was still nobody in the alley, then I snuck over to the mayor's wife and grabbed her from behind with tight grip. She wanted to scream, but I, smart as I was, had pressed my right hand onto her mouth, so all I heard was a quiet, stifled grumble.

''Be quiet and no stupidities, otherwise you're dead!'', I hissed into her ear, she obeyed with a fear filled face.

I pulled her into a dark corner, laboriously pulled out a cloth ribbon from my pocket and tied it over her mouth. Since both my hands were free again now, I started tying her hands onto her back using one of my metal-enhanced ropes. I left her legs free since she had to walk for what I had planned. I took a phial filled with green-yellow liquid out of my bag, grabbed one of my daggers and poured the liquid onto its blade. The liquid was a special kind of poison which wasn't lethal, but made even the smallest wound cause almost unbearable pain. When the whole blade was saturated with the poison, I placed the dagger at the woman's throat and ordered her to walk towards the temple.

We stopped in another alley close to the temple, we stayed undetected but were still able to completely hear and follow the trial. The mayor and Aang both told their version of the story, when I heard Aang's version however, I wanted to smack my forehead with my palm, he wouldn't have been able to convince even the stupidest court in the world, which sadly wasn't the one we were in here right now! Of course the mayor declared Aang guilty, even though I was sure he would have done that even if Aang would have told his version of the story without any flaws or mistakes. But Katara and Sokka didn't want to give up, they still had an ace up their sleeves: From Kyoshi Island, they had brought a costume of Avatar Kyoshi which Aang pulled on, I didn't quite understand how that should help us. But I got my answer shortly after: Suddenly, strong winds arose around Aang, they turned into clouds, when they were gone again, nobody but Avatar Kyoshi herself was standing where Aang had stood! I couldn't believe it at first, but Avatar Kyoshi started talking about how she had killed Chin the Conqueror to stop him from conquering her village, that was also the reason for the creation of Kyoshi Island. I was speechless! Technically Aang had just confessed the crime! That could not mean any good, since we had nothing up our sleeves anymore, or had we?

The villagers brought a big wheel to the yard, it depicted several hard punishments. Aang should spin the wheel to decide his punishment himself. Just when the mayor wanted to say something about the wheel, I took the chance and stepped out of my hiding place:

''Not so fast! I have another objection!'', I called and presented the mayor's wife to everybody who was present.

All of them, even Aang, Katara and Sokka, were completely struck with shock! The mayor, the most shocked of them all, stammered:

''What did you do to my wife? Set her free immediately!''

''Only if you release the Avatar!''

''Never! This criminal has to take responsibility for his crime!''

''Then you leave me no other choice!''

Even in the heat of battle, this codger still had the nerves to keep his disinterested bureaucrat personality:

''Oh, what are you going to do? You're just a monk and we all know that monks don't use violence!''

Now I had finally run out of patience: ''Shut the hell up and stop calling me a monk! If you would know who I really am, you would shiver in fear and beg for mercy!''

''And? What exactly do you want do?'', the mayor asked and laughed spitefully.

With every passing second, my eyes turned darker, but also more sadistic.

I pulled up the woman's sleeve, grabbed my dagger and shouted: ''This!''

Using the dagger, I cut a long wound into the woman's arm, she screamed in pain loudly, however, it was muffled because of the ribbon that was still tied on her mouth. What was even more horrible for the spectators was the fact that the wound started changing its color shortly after, green streaks started appearing on the woman's entire arm. I placed my dagger on various spots, soon the woman's whole body was covered with green wounds. She was cowering on the ground, the pain had to be crippling. I grinned at the mayor sadistically, whose eyes had turned more and more shocked over the time, and asked:

''So, have you changed your mind?''

He almost wasn't able to create a proper sentence anymore and stammered: ''The Avatar has to take responsibility...''

That was enough already. I immediately replied: ''Obviously not! Guess I have to take another step forward!''

I put the woman's hand on the ground and held it in place while slowly moving my dagger towards her fingers. The mayor's eyes turned to blank horror at once.

I asked again: ''And now?''

The mayor couldn't take it anymore, I saw it in every corner of his face, he only shook his head very slightly.

I said: ''Then I have to do it!''

I lifted the dagger a little back into the air and then rammed it down into the ground, cutting off the little finger on the woman's hand! Now the mayor finally had enough, he dropped to his knees and cried:

''Alright! Take the Avatar and leave! But please, stop hurting my wife, I can't take it anymore!''

''See, that wasn't so hard, was it?'', I said nonchalantly, removed the woman's bonds from her mouth and hands and let her go.

But I was still grinning sadistically internally, I wasn't finished yet! When the mayor and his wife had shared a short embrace and turned their backs on me, I extended both my arm blades and rammed them right into the couple's backs! The crowd screamed out in shock when the mayor and his wife both collapsed to the ground fatally wounded. I turned around to face the villagers and said:

''Let this be a lesson for all of you! Live your life in a decent way, then you will find peace! Live your own life and the spirits will have mercy! Honor and thank the Avatar for his action instead of despising him for a crime that happened centuries ago! Change your lives! Become better human beings!''

With these words I turned back around towards my friends, who were also looking quite shocked, and said:

''Come on! Let's go, there's nothing left to do for us here anymore.''

Like in trance, Aang, Katara and Sokka followed me out of the village to the meadow where our animals where waiting. When he had reached them, Katara was the first to find her voice again, she asked:

''What was that? Why did you do that?''

My answer was calm: ''Special times call for special actions sometimes. Didn't you see what kind of punishments were on that wheel? Those people were willing to kill Aang and plunge the world into chaos forever just because of a crime that happened centuries ago. I saved Aang, just like my destiny demands of me, and also gave the inhabitants of this village an important life lesson. I don't know what problem you see with this.''

Aang answered instead of Katara: ''He's right Katara, he saved me, those people lived their lives quite wrong. But I know what you mean: This method, the torture and the killing of the mayor and his wife, you really didn't have to do this, Yulizan!''

''Like I said Aang: Special times call for special actions. You really that man would have released if it wasn't for me? Also, he taught the people a wrong view on the world, he deserved to die! You three may not approve or even share my opinion, but if this team shall continue like it did so far, you have to learn to at least accept my actions.''

I saw it in my friends' eyes that it was hard for them to digest my words, but they seemed to have made it after some time. Shortly after, we rose back into the air and continued our journey.

 **Next chapter: A new team member**


	18. The Quartet Becomes A Quintet

So we continued our journey, still looking for an earth bending teacher for Aang. Our next stop was the larger town of Gaoling. Here I had hope for the first time in a long time that we could achieve some kind of progress, as it was way more likely to find an earth bender in a town than somewhere in the middle of nowhere out in the country.

We reached the city without problems and acted natural at first. Katara and Aang were buying new supplies once again, I scouted around and Sokka... yeah, Sokka seemed to have something special in mind. He discovered a carrier bag in a shop which he absolutely wanted to buy, however, the price the merchant demanded was pretty rough, that's why Sokka tried to negotiate with the aim to push the price down. However, the negotiations dragged out enormously, Katara, Aang and I soon became bored and left the shop. When we were standing outside again and waited, I asked Aang:

''Do you think that we will finally be lucky and find a suitable teacher for you?''

''I don't know, but the chances are definitely higher than somewhere else.''

I looked up to the sky, the time continued to trickle away, more and more against us. With every day without success, the Fire Nation's power grew, the comet's appearance came closer and closer. If Aang would not be able to bend every element within the next months, then the world would be lost!

Shortly after that I was pulled out from my thoughts, when a man clad in grey clothes approached us and handed Aang a piece of paper. Katara and I looked over Aang's shoulder to read for ourselves what was written on the paper. It was an advertising pamphlet, for an earth bending school! My mood brightened abruptly.

I said: ''This is just perfect! Where else but a school where earth bending is taught could you learn the art of earth bending?''

But Aang was skeptical: ''Well, I'm not sure...''

But Katara agreed with me: ''Yulizan is right, you should at least try it, who knows how long it would take us to find a good private teacher for you.''

That's when Aang realized as well that a simple look at the school couldn't hurt. Shortly after, Sokka finally exited the shop, the bag over his shoulder. I looked at him skeptical and asked:

''So, how much was the guy willing to take away from the original price?''

''More than enough! Just paid almost half!'', Sokka proudly explained before presenting the bag to us.

I nodded in agreement, I was actually impressed, I didn't expect such negotiation skill from Sokka. We told him about the advertising pamphlet and the earth bending school, he also thought that Aang should at least try it out. So we headed towards this earth bending school next.

Sometime after, we had found the school. We went to see the owner and teacher, a certain Master Yu, Aang handed him the pamphlet which included a free training hour. Yu took the pamphlet with a look in his eyes I knew just too well: This man was lusting for nothing but money! I hated people like that, who just wanted the one thing, especially when they technically had the same profession as one himself. I already had often crossed paths with assassins-for-hire and other mercenaries, I hated them all! People like that dishonored us Assassins, who were fighting for honor and peace, all along the line! With a slimy grin on his face, Yu assigned Aang a personal training space and school uniform. Katara and Sokka decided to watch Aang and his training, I however had to get out of this ''school'' as fast as possible, I couldn't and didn't want to endure this atmosphere any longer. I threw a hostile look at Yu as I walked out from the school grounds. Outside, I leaned against the wall, slid down and relaxed while sitting. I took a sip of water from my bottle, I had to fight the feeling of nausea which the slimy Yu had caused in my body. The cool water felt nice, fresh and pleasant in my throat and my stomach, I was immediately able to relax even better. I didn't have to wait for long, shortly after, Aang, Katara and Sokka came out of the school again. Aang said that this was definitely not the place for him to learn earth bending, also, Yu had tried to pull the money for a year-long membership out of Aang's pocket. That was finally enough for me, I wished that I could have just run into the school with full steam and cram so much money into that slimy vulture's throat that he would suffocate agonizingly, but Aang held me back and said:

''Let it go! He's not worth it!''

Thinking about my task again, I immediately followed Aang's word and walked behind my friends as we made our way through the city again.

While we were walking, we thought about our next possible destination, when two young earth benders walked past us, talking about something quite excitingly. We overheard something that sounded like ''earth bending tournament'' while walking, so we stopped and asked the two what exactly they had been talking about, but they just rudely replied that it was none of our business. Of course, I knew a method to make people like that talk. I walked up to the two, lifted my hands so that they were almost directly in their faces and created two flames right in front of their noses. When I saw their shocked-to-death faces, I asked:

''And? Will you tell us now?''

The two of them started bubbling like two waterfalls and told us every detail about a big underground tournament. The entrance was just outside of town underneath a large rock. We thanked our two chatty informants and headed off, trying to find that entrance to the tournament.

After we had left the town, we also found the ominous rock relatively fast. Inside the rock was the entrance of a big long tunnel. We entered it, I had to make light using my fire, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to see anything. At the end of the tunnel, the place the tournament was held at came into view and it impressed us all: It was a large arena with multiple spectator stands, luminous crystals, which made the whole place appear almost as bright as daylight, grew out from the ceiling. We looked for some spots on one of the stands and waited eagerly for the games to begin. The first fight was contested between two fighters called The Boulder and The Hippo, The Boulder was able to win fairly fast and easy.

Aang said: ''This guy is just listening to his muscles, he's not a real bender in my eyes.''

Sokka on the other hand was very thrilled by the fighter's abilities, Katara and I only shook our heads blankly about that. The Boulder also won all of his next fights and eventually reached the finale where he would fight the yet unbeaten champion of the tournament: The Blind Bandit. When said fighter entered the arena a few minutes later, all of us were more than surprised: Instead of a big muscular man or something like that, a little girl, not much older than Aang, stood down there in the arena, also, her eyes were white, she really was blind!

''And how exactly is she able to bend then?'', I asked myself.

But Aang was not interested in that fact, all he did was staring at the girl for a few minutes, then he finally said:

''It's her!''

''Who?'', Katara, Sokka and I all asked at the same time.

''The girl! She's the one from my vision I had back in the swamp. Remember Huu's words? He said I would meet that girl sometime in the future, and here we are!''

I still was skeptical, when I thought about the state the girl was in, but my doubts were brought to an abrupt end when she defeated The Boulder in mere seconds. I was speechless! While I had no idea how she had done that, her power as an earth bender was very impressive! Aang apparently had noticed my astonishment and explained:

''She represents what Bumi had explained to me. She waits for the right moment and listens to nothing but the earth itself.''

Of course! Now I realized it too. How else could the girl have noticed where The Boulder had been standing when she wasn't able to see him? She had felt him through the earth. Simple, but ingenious!

I answered Aang: ''If I wouldn't know it better, I would say that you could have found your teacher.''

Aang agreed and decided that he would talk to the girl after the tournament. But when we searched for her later, she was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, we returned into the town.

The next day, we began asking around in the town if somebody knew the mysterious girl known as The Blind Bandit. But we had little to no success. Just one man could help us at least a little bit, when Aang described his vision, in which, alongside the girl, a flying boar had appeared, the man said that the powerful Beifong family had a boar as their heraldic animal. Therefore, we made our way towards the family's mansion as we wanted to take a closer look at it.

In the evening, we had reached the mansion, but the sight was a little frightening: There were guards posted on the entire grounds. We rounded the outer wall and eventually found ourselves at the backside of the mansion, where fortunately no guards were posted. Aang decided that we should climb over the wall, however I didn't, as I took the position as our guard, I stayed outside to look out for other guards that could possibly come this way. Shortly after my friends had climbed over the wall, I heard voices, followed by a call and Aang, Katara and Sokka who climbed back over the wall as quick as possible. They told me to run away fast, which I did immediately. When we were away a good distance from the mansion again, I asked my breathless friends:

''And what exactly was this action about? You were inside there for less than five minutes!''

Aang panted: ''The girl...was in the garden...saw us...called guards...had to flee...''

Alright, that was a good reason. But I continued my questioning:

''Have you at least achieved something?''

Aang answered, already a little calmer: ''Yes, we told her that I'm the Avatar and that she is most likely the earth bending teacher we have searched for a long time. Oh, and her name is Toph, apparently she's a member of the Beifong family.''

''Well, at least something.'', I thought to myself.

''And what are we going to do now?'', I asked.

But when Aang told me his new plan, no, that simply couldn't work! My doubts stayed when Aang simply marched towards the main gate and introduced himself as the Avatar who would like to meet the Beifong family. But, to my biggest surprise, nothing happened and we actually were welcomed very friendly.

We were introduced to the family, I of course concealed my Assassin affiliation, luckily I had took off my hood already while we still had been outside of the house. The Beifongs welcomed us and even invited us to eat dinner with them and spend the night at the mansion. Had I been skeptical about Aang's plan at first, now I was completely on his side, because now I had the chance to empathize with my old live again! At least for one evening and one night, I would be able to live like I did before my family's death, this outlook made me happy and excited! However, my mood became a little sour again when we all came together for dinner and I had to see that the slimy Master Yu was there as well. Of course I maintained my good manners, for the sake of our hosts, on the inside however, I was boiling. It even went so far that I was tempted to slip some poison into Yu's food in an unobserved moment, but for all our well-being, I was able to hold myself back. While eating, we talked much with the Beifongs, after some time, Mister Beifong asked me:

''I have noticed your excellent manners, young master Yulizan, do you hail from a reputable family?''

''Technically, my family always did well for itself, if you mean that, and I have experienced a pleasant education.''

''And it has paid off, as I can see.''

We talked about many different topics, I avoided everything too sensitive of course, I concealed the circumstances of my family's death and who I really was. But eventually, an altercation happened: Aang and Toph suddenly charged at each other, after Aang wanted to tell what he knew about Toph. After the two had been separated again, the dinner was called off and the Beifongs ordered their servants to show us our rooms.

I stretched out on the smooth sleeping mat in my room, it really was a nice feeling which reminded me of my childhood very much. The Beifongs had appeared to me as very nice people, I asked myself however if they knew what great of an earth bender their daughter was. They at least knew that she had the gift, I couldn't find any other explanation for Yu's presence, but they definitely didn't know that Toph was fighting other powerful benders in an underground fighting arena. When I thought about many different things like I always did, I suddenly heard strange calls from the lower floors. I jumped to my feet, met with Katara and Sokka in the hallway, we made our way downstairs together. We were all shocked when we heard what happened: Aang and Toph, who had been in the garden together, had been abducted! The abductors demanded 500 gold pieces, the hand-over should happen in the arena. The three of us promised the Beifongs our assistance, shortly after, we all left the mansion and made our way towards the underground arena.

We reached the arena without problems and the hand-over also seemed to work, when we handed over the money, Toph was released immediately. Aang however was nowhere to be seen. I stepped forward and asked the abductors, who by the way were all the fighters from the arena:

''Where is Aang?''

The leader, a certain Xin Fu, said that the Avatar would be handed over to the Fire Nation, as they would pay better. I became furious, conjured up two big flames in my hands and called at the fighters:

''Let the Avatar go or I will tear you all apart piece by piece!''

The earth benders laughed at me, but before I was able to unleash my flames, all the abductors suddenly were catapulted into the air by earth chunks. I looked around surprised and saw Toph who was standing next to me. She grinned and said:

''7-0, I win.''

I was once again impressed by the girl's abilities and also had to laugh internally, I really liked her personality. Shortly after, Katara and Sokka returned with Aang, so we left the arena again.

When we were back at the Beifong mansion, Toph confessed everything to her parents. How she had lived a secret life as an arena fighter to flee her everyday routine, she hoped that her parents would understand, but they didn't! Her parents thought that the freedom they had given her had only endangered her even more, they decided that from now on she would be monitored even more strict. They also accused us that we had endangered Toph and ordered the guards to escort us out of the house. Aang was visibly disappointed, just like Katara and me, we all had hoped that Toph could be Aang's teacher. We left the mansion and returned to our animals. Pagan immediately noticed how disappointed I was and tried to cheer me up by softly rubbing his snout on my body. I smiled for a short moment, but it didn't help. It looked like our search had once again been without success, that's when we saw Toph running towards us from a distance. When she had reached us, Aang asked:

''What are you doing here? I thought your parents had you monitored the whole time.''

''I actually was able to persuade them in the end.'', Toph replied.

Unlike my three friends, I immediately knew that she was lying, I kept it to myself however and laughed internally, this girl really was sly as a fox, she and myself would surely get along very well. Happy and content that we finally had been successful again, we mounted our animals and rose to the sky, continuing our way through the Earth Kingdom.

 **Next chapter: Pursued!**


	19. A Sleepless Night To Remember

During the following time, our journey went on way better than before, Toph was really a great addition to our team. She and I got along magnificently, just like I had imagined, we talked very often and made jokes together. Also, I was repeatedly impressed by her large enjoyment of life even with her physical limitations, it was really nice to see. And of course she was a powerful bender and fighter, she would teach Aang well, I was sure about that. Besides all our jokes, a friendly competition between Toph and me also developed, we always tried to outdo the other in something when we had the chance to. A very interesting chance offered itself when we took a break, about one week after we had left Gaoling, in the afternoon. Toph and I immediately noticed that there were many apple trees growing in the surrounding area of our resting place. She grinned at me and asked:

''Whoever can collect more?''

''You're on!'', I replied, already filled with thirst for action.

We stormed off and started collecting apples as if there was no tomorrow! After about an hour, I had moved a little further away from our resting place on my search for more apple trees, I returned with both arms filled with apples. Toph was already sitting carelessly next to a pretty big pile of apples, I had watched her in the beginning, she used a very interesting technique for collecting: She simply bent the trees into the earth far enough for her to reach the tree crowns and plucking the apples. I had used my weapons most of the time to reach even the most remote fruits. I dropped my loot next to Toph's pile, pulled the arrow out from one of the last apples and said:

''Final count: 42!''

Toph answered: ''42? Whoa! That's not bad, my crafty little hood-wearer. I myself am holding proudly in my hand right now number 43!''

Toph threw the apple into the air triumphantly, I pulled out a rope arrow from my quiver with lightning-like reflexes and shot it with such skill that the arrow hit the apple mid-air and pulled it straight into my hand.

''43!'', I said loosely and took a generous bite out of the apple.

Toph countered slightly annoyed: ''That was mine!''

''But it was in the air, and the air is neutral ground.''

Without any expression, Toph bent a little earth pillar out from underneath of one of my apples, the fruit flew through the air and landed right in her lap.

''Now we're even.'', she laughed and took a bite out of her apple as well.

I laughed too and sat down next to her, we started another of our lengthy conversations. It was really just nice!

Our journey went on without any problems for the following time, until we set up our camp for the night one evening. In the corner of my eye, I saw Aang looking at Appa with a worried face, I went over and asked:

''What is it? Something with Appa?''

''He's losing fur, that means he's either nervous or very tired. Or both.''

''Well, I don't know why he should be nervous, nothing has happened to us in a long time.''

While I said this, I tapped my wooden bow three times with my knuckles.

''And if something strange would be close, I would have noticed by now.''

Aang rubbed his chin thoughtfully and eventually said:

''I think you're right, he probably really is just tired, we should just let him sleep.''

After that, Aang went to build up the tent while I also returned to mine and Pagan's place. While I was walking, I suddenly heard and saw Katara and Toph who were arguing loudly. I walked up to the girls, but before I reached them, Katara walked away with a very look in her eyes, she even bumped me in the shoulder as she walked past me.

I asked Toph: ''What's wrong with her?''

The earth bender answered relaxed: ''Ah, don't worry, she will calm down. She tried to explain to me how you guys always share the work, but she forgot the most important part: I'm blind, I would probably be of no help with most things.''

She was right with that, however, I didn't know why Katara had been this upset. Could it be that she was overtired? Over the course of the last days, we had always been on the ground to sleep at night, but of course I could not assess if and how long she had slept. Fortunately, I didn't have to spend many thoughts about the whole matter, because some time later, Katara returned and even apologized to Toph. I was reassured, the atmosphere was calm again. I took a last look at Toph, she bent herself a tent made completely made out of earth to sleep inside, then I laid down to sleep myself.

In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up after I have had a vision in one of my dreams: Something big and mechanical was approaching us! I jumped to my feet and saw that Toph was awake as well.

She told me: ''I have felt vibrations in the earth! Something big is coming this way!''

''I know, I've seen it in a vision.''

''I think we should leave this place as fast as possible!''

I agreed with her on that. We woke up the others, hastily packed up our things and rose up into the night sky. We flew for several hours without finding another suitable place for landing, more precisely for continuing our sleep. All of us were pretty tired already, no doubts about it, when I looked at the others, I saw half closed eyes everywhere. I myself could keep myself awake good enough to maintain a good look over the whole situation thanks to my training, and that eventually paid off, because shortly after I discovered a larger clearing, we decided to land there. I wanted to continue my sleep as soon as possible, I put my mat down as soon as we touched the ground and laid down. But unfortunately, I wasn't able to sleep, because Katara and Toph once again started arguing. I didn't want to go through that whole thing another time, but luckily Aang helped me by trying to mediate between the two girls, he was eventually able to calm both of them down again. As soon as it was quiet in our camp again, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

But once again I wasn't able to get a refreshing sleep, because only some time later I was woken up again by screaming, this time caused by Sokka. Apparently, Katara had been hurled through the air by Toph and landed on her sleeping brother. I slowly started to lose my nerves, but once again wasn't able to intervene as Toph said:

''That thing that's chasing us is close by again!''

Once again we packed our things and continued to fly away. I was so tired now that I decided to use a little trick to stay awake. I took some dried herbs, a little bowl and my water bottle, poured some water into the bowl, threw the herbs into it heated up the whole thing in my palms. Only seconds later I had a nice hot bowl of tea. I slowly drank the hot liquid and immediately felt refreshed and recovered, I now was the only one from the team who was in that state. The others talked, half asleep more or less, about that machine, what it could be and why it was chasing us. Katara brought forward the argument that it could be Zuko, but I had a more concrete idea already, which however I would keep to myself for the time being, I didn't want to provoke the others even more.

Shortly after, we landed once again, but this time we weren't able to do anything, because only moments after our landing, the machine broke through some trees. It looked similar to the tanks that Teo's father had built in the Northern Air Temple, however, it was equipped with different weapons. After breaking through the trees, it stopped only a few meters in front of us. Because of my wake up-tea, I was immediately combat ready, while the others needed a little longer. Shortly after, a gate opened on the front side of the machine, out came three mongoose lizards. But the animals were not the point of interest, their riders were. They were Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, the three girls we had already encountered in Omashu. My eyes wandered over to Ty Lee like it was instinctively, but I was able to collect my thoughts again relatively fast, now was not the time for such things! In the meantime, Azula had noticed me, her mouth was agape, she yelled:

''You!''

I grinned and replied carelessly: ''Pleased to see me again, princess? In case you forgot: You and I have a date! With death!''

I created two white fires in my hands, Azula's lizard took two steps backwards.

Aang said: ''I think, a retreat is the best option!''

I answered: ''Just go! I take care of our problem and catch up with you guys!''

Thereupon my four friends returned to Appa, whilst Pagan appeared by my side, the two of us now stood face to face with the three girls and their lizards. The lizards and Pagan stared at each other with poisonous eyes, all three of the lizards hissed, but Pagan was completely unimpressed.

He said: ''What an insult to my species!'' and let out a loud roar, the lizards started cowering on the ground in fear.

I grinned at Azula again and said: ''Three down, three to go!''

Azula became incredibly angry, I saw it in every corner of her face. I turned around for a moment and saw that Appa was already in the air again. I jumped onto Pagan as well and said:

''Date postponed, princess.'', before we took off and followed our friends.

During our flight, Pagan and I noticed that Appa became more and more tired, his flight had become very wobbly and limp, the bison would not last much longer. When I looked at the horizon, I saw the sun which was beginning to rise over the sea. We had been on the run the entire night!

''Thank the tea!'', I thought.

Some time later, Appa was done and slowly started sinking towards the ground until he hit it, already asleep.

Aang noticed the obvious: ''Appa is tired.''

But I believed that the bison, just like we did over the night, would not be able to sleep very soundly, as another vociferous argument broke out between everybody. Now I finally wasn't able to take that any longer. I marched towards my friends determinedly and annoyed and screamed from the top of my lungs:

''That's enough!''

My scream was filled with so much power that a cloud of fire emerged from my mouth. All four immediately stopped arguing and stared at me in shock. I breathed heavily, the fire breathing had cost me much energy, I had to sit down. Toph was the first to find her voice again:

''He's right. That's enough, I'm leaving!''

I could not believe what I just had heard! But Toph actually turned around and left the clearing we had landed on. I tried to call after her, but nothing but hot air came out of my mouth. I took a sip of water to moisten my throat again, than I said annoyed:

''Well great job, Katara! We finally find an earth bending teacher for Aang and you have nothing better to do but to simply chase her away again!''

Katara looked to the ground ashamed and answered abashed:

''I'm really sorry, I really don't know what happened to me there.''

She looked like she really meant it, I decided to believe her this time. We all agreed that we now had one single goal: finding Toph.

Before we headed off however, Aang and Katara washed Appa, which was also to wake him up at least a little. As they washed him, an idea came to Aang's mind: He wanted to use the fur that Appa had lost while washing to place a false trail for Azula. I didn't quite dislike the idea per se, but I wasn't sure if Azula would actually fall for something like this. Aang decided that he would fly to the left, Appa to the right. I wanted to accompany Aang, just like my destiny demanded, but he assured me multiple times that he was ready to take care of himself for at least some time now. Even though I didn't like the thought of leaving Aang alone, Pagan and I started following Katara and Sokka on the search for Toph.

We continued to fly over the country for some time, looking for Toph, but we had no success. But we still weren't able to catch any breath, because only shortly after, I felt a hostile presence close to us. I looked down and saw the mongoose lizards of Mai and Ty Lee directly beneath us. I informed Katara and Sokka, the two immediately tried to get Appa to fly faster. But the bison had not been able to recover his complete strength yet and had to make an emergency landing on the bank of a river. When Pagan and I landed as well, we saw Mai and Ty Lee on the other bank. Sokka groaned exhausted:

''Very good, one problem less to worry about.''

But I of course knew that the girls would not give up that easily, and I was right, because only seconds later, the mongoose lizards showed their power: They ran over the water surface with crazy speed. I got ready for combat, as Mai was hurling multiple throwing knives in a big radius at us while her lizard was still running with full speed. I concentrated briefly and created a wall of fire sand in front of us, the wall stopped the knives and burned them to ash. Mai and Ty Lee had reached our bank, jumped off their lizards and attacked us! Ty Lee immediately stormed right towards me, her fingers ready for the chi blockade. But this time I was another step ahead of her and simply grabbed her head mid-attack. She didn't know what hit her, I held her wrist with an iron grip and said:

''No, no! Not like this, girl!''

While I was holding her, I looked directly into her eyes, I saw the sparkle they emitted, it was beautiful! Just like everything on her, she was perhaps the most beautiful girl I had ever met. What was the most interesting thing however: She seemed to stare at me as well, possibly with intentions. Nevertheless, she was my enemy once again, therefore I came to my senses shortly after and hurled her back with full power, but not too hard, so that she landed in the river. Mai followed shortly after, that was thanks to Appa, he had swirled her through the air using his tail. Our attackers had been defeated, now we had to continue our search for Toph and meanwhile also Aang.

 _ **-POV change-**_

Mai and Ty Lee waded out of the river sopping wet, Mai cursed:

''Damn it! Now we have lost a second time against those Water Tribe jerks! We can't let this happen again!''

Ty Lee replied: ''Yes, you're right. But honestly: That guy in the hood is very cute...''

Mai looked at Ty Lee in disbelief: ''What?''

''I've seen his eyes, they were practically glowing with strength, with passion, I have never seen something like in my life!''

Mai grabbed Ty Lee's sleeve and said: ''Let's just go, we need to leave this place!''

 _ **-POV change back-**_

We headed off to help Aang by following the route he had taken before to place the trail. For quite some time, we saw nothing but forest beneath us, but then we finally discovered an old abandoned town. And in said town, there was a fight happening, it was visible even from a distance. Blue and yellow flames whipped through the air, I was alarmed immediately:

''Azula is down there!''

We started to land and immediately saw Aang who was cornered by Azula and Zuko as well! Katara jumped off Appa's back and hurled a water fountain at Azula. Thereupon, Sokka and I entered the fight as well, shortly after Toph and, to the surprise of all of us, General Iroh of the Fire Nation appeared on the scene as well. We all stood in front of Azula and created a wall of all four elements in front of her, using our united bending abilities, she had no other choice but to surrender shortly after. General Iroh stopped his fire beam as a result, however, Azula ambushed and cut him down shortly after. Zuko left to look after him, we continued to hold our powers up. Eventually, Sokka intervened as well and threw his boomerang, which however resulted in nothing but an explosion, Azula used the confusion to escape.

We decided to leave the place, Katara glanced over to the injured general, I put my hand on her shoulder and said:

''Let them, they will be alright.''

Thereupon Katara followed the rest of us when we returned to our animals. We once again flew for quite some time until we finally found a suitable spot in the mountains where we finally could sleep and this time, to my greatest relief, I wasn't woken up by anything. Of course, I dreamt of Ty Lee, it could not actually be coincidence that I had met her again, maybe there was more to my father's words then I had thought. I decided to wait and see what destiny would have in store for me and her. My main attention definitely had to continue to be on my mission, which was going well so far. The next step would now be: Toph had to teach Aang earth bending. And as far as I knew the young Avatar and the blind girl, this would not be easy for both of them.

 **Next chapter: Training and knowledge**


	20. Nothing But Earth And Sand

The plan should be translated into action only a few days later. We had travelled into a valley that appeared like a natural quarry, there were gravel, rubble and large boulders everywhere. Toph had explained to me that a place like this perfect to introduce somebody into earth bending, as every kind of material that was necessary was already there. Of course I was happy that Aang would finally be able to start learning earth bending, I hoped that he would learn it relatively fast so that he could move on to the fire before finally being ready to face the Fire Lord, the sooner the better!

The morning after the first night in the quarry, Aang woke up very early and started fidgeting through our camp, eventually he woke all of us up. But I wasn't angry at him, I was happy that he was this willing to learn from Toph. But his anticipation was brought to an abrupt end when Toph told him that his first lesson would be the simple task of moving a rock. She started training him the physical and psychological basics of earth bending, one had to become a rock themselves to be able to move a rock. This concept was strongly reminding me of the fire bender's creed: One had feel the energy and the heat of the sun flowing through one's body before one was able to unleash the flames. In the beginning, the biggest difficulty was to find the right moment to release the fire, too early and no flame whatsoever emerged, too late and the flame became either weak or uncontrollably. During my training, I stopped counting how many white flames had blown up in my face at one point. And Aang also had to learn that basically nothing worked on the first try, because when he tried to move the rock, he was catapulted backwards instead and smashed right against Appa. I had to grin, oh yeah, there was still a lot of work ahead for the young Avatar.

After Aang had recovered from his unintended little flight, Toph explained his problem to him: He was still thinking like an air bender, smart and complicated, earth bending however was founded on simple thoughts. I saw parallels to fire bending once again: The fire bender had to fill his mind with either pure willpower, determination or anger to unleash the full power of his flames. I definitely never had lacked that, I always imagined that the Fire Lord was standing right in front of me and I could have my revenge with every training doll that had went up in flames by my hand during my training. My thoughts had always been filled with anger and determination, my flames had reached their full potential. To give Aang a better feeling of earth, Toph gave him a series of tasks, like carrying a little boulder around the camp or balancing on top of two pillars made out of clay. In the beginning, the young Avatar had his problems, but the more times he repeated the tasks, the better he became. I was pleased, we definitely made good progress. After Aang had mastered all of Toph's tasks after several hours, the girl decided to give him another challenge: Instead of moving a stationary rock, he should now try to stop a moving rock.

Aang asked: ''And where do we get a moving rock from?''

Toph pointed towards one of the surrounding hills, a ball-shaped rock was sitting in state on the summit.

She said: ''I will make the rock roll down from the hill, you will stop it.''

Aang went into position: ''Alright, let's do this!''

''One moment please.''

Toph went over to me and asked: ''Can I borrow one of your cloth ribbons?''

''Sure, but why?''

''You'll see soon.''

I took one of the ribbons, like the one I had used to tie down the wife of the mayor, out of my bag and followed Toph. When we had reached Aang, Toph said:

''Blindfold him.''

Aang and I looked at each other confused, but I did as told and tied the ribbon around the young Avatar's eyes. After that I took a few steps back while Toph made her way to the top of the hill to set the rock in motion. Aang was still standing in the same spot he did before, but since I had blindfolded him I felt that his tension was increasing. On the summit of the hill, Toph now set the ball-shaped rock in motion. It rolled down the hill, becoming faster and faster, heading straight towards Aang's position. But the young air bender panicked and instead of stopping the rock using earth bending, he jumped over it. When Aang landed again, I saw a furious Toph marching down from the hill. She ripped the ribbon off Aang's eyes and shouted:

''What was that? You were supposed to stop it! You will never achieve anything if you keep this kind of passive attitude! Weakling!''

Ouch! That hit home! Toph angrily stomped away, Aang hung his head and walked away as well.

I followed Toph and tried to calm her down. We walked side by side, I said:

''Don't be too hard on the boy. Don't forget, he has a pretty heavy weight to carry, it's no ordinary task being the savior of the world.''

Toph chuckled and said: ''Well, I guess you're right, however, he's still incredibly difficult to train, I think he doesn't take the whole thing as serious as he should.''

''You're right with that, I mean, I witnessed his water bending training, he has always been like this, this hard of understanding, fixed on his air bending abilities too much.''

Toph looked at me, as far as one could say that about her, she turned her head towards me and asked: ''Tell me, how was your fire bending training? Did you also shatter your master's nerve?''

I playfully punched her in the arm and answered calmly: ''To be honest: No. My master was very strict all the time, but also really patient. He made me repeat every exercise over and over again, until I was able to pull it off as good as he wanted, and if it took me days. I was always pretty worn-out after that and had to recover for the next day, but it was all worth it if, I'm now one of the most powerful fire benders in the world.''

Toph nodded and became pensive: ''Maybe I should approach Aang and his training a little different from now on, we won't achieve anything with my current plan.''

''That's a good decision, an old Assassin saying also reads: Be variable and your opponent will not stand a chance. Maybe this also fits learning and teaching.''

''I will at least try it.''

In the evening, we all came together in the camp, that means, almost all of us, because Sokka, who had gone out for hunting a few hours ago, had still not returned and Katara was noticeably worried. She and Aang decided to search for Sokka, I wanted to come along as well, but the two reassured me that they would manage to make it on their own. Therefore Toph and I stayed at the camp fire alone. We talked and ate nuts that Toph cracked using Aang's glider, I roasted some of the nuts in the fire, we enjoyed the time and continued talking about Aang's training. But after some time, we heard strange noises in the forest, we stood up and made our way to the forest to check what was happening. When we reached the source of the noises, my breath stopped for a second: Sokka was stuck in a quicksand pit up to his neck, Aang was standing in front of him, his eyes were fixated onto a large saber-tooth moose lion that was standing only a few meters away from our friends. Of course, I wanted to storm right at the beast and strike it down, but Toph held me back:

''Wait! I want to know what Aang is going to do.''

I reluctantly obeyed the young earth bender's order and continued to stare at the animal, which shortly after started to storm right at Aang and Sokka, only to be launched back into the forest by a strong wind blast that Aang had thrown at the beast. Toph's mood suddenly went up, she walked to the clearing while clapping and said:

''Very good, you did it! You think like an earth bender. Even though you have used air, you have kept your position and that's what matters. Now try to move the rock again.''

Without any contradictions, Aang marched back to our camp, heading for the rock. He took his position with firm stand and really managed to move the rock. I was thrilled, it had worked, Aang was now able to bend the earth, now he only had to learn the more advanced techniques, but I was confident that this would happen without any major problems.

As we had managed the hardest part for now, the following time was pretty relaxed. We continued travelling and enjoyed the peaceful time we had. But Sokka once again found a reason to nag. He said that we should concentrate on our mission and try to find information that could help us against the Fire Nation. I was torn on that matter: On one side, I of course wanted to defeat the Fire Nation and therefore found Sokka's call justified. On the other side, I wanted to enjoy the peaceful free time, because it was definitely possible that we wouldn't be able to have such an opportunity for relaxation again in the next time.

One of our next destinations was the Misty Palms Oasis on the edge of the massive Si Wong Desert. Katara had heard that this was supposedly a good place to relax. But the atmosphere was all but relaxing when we arrived there. The whole area looked pretty dilapidated, also did the bar we entered. In there, a guest bumped into Aang and spilled his drink on Aang's robe. When Aang dried the liquid using his air bending, the guest was fascinated. He introduced himself as Professor Zei from the University of Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom's capital. Sokka asked him if he had a map of the surroundings of the oasis, the professor immediately unrolled such a map and unfolded it in front of us all. He told us that he was in this area to search for an ancient mysterious library that was seemingly located somewhere in the desert. When he mentioned the library, I started listening more closely. Even though the library of the Assassin monastery was very old and filled with much useful knowledge, it definitely wasn't omniscient. However, more knowledge was always helpful, that's why I thought that this library could be worth a visit. So we decided that, together with Professor Zei, we would search for this library. When we left the bar again, a little shock awaited us: Men, completely clad in loose white garments, tried to take Appa, who had been waiting a little away from the bar, with them! I conjured up a flame and hurled it right at the group of bandits, they immediately fled in fear. The professor turned to me and said:

''Fascinating! You definitely have to tell me more about this unconventional style of fire bending when we find the time, my young friend.''

We flew over the endless sand of the desert for some time, always looking for something like a library. But for miles around there really was nothing but sand! Even Pagan, who could see for far greater distances than all of us with his dragon eyes, saw nothing but sand in the distance. Then finally, after several hours, he discovered something:

''Over there! There is something! Looks like a tower.'', he told me, I told the others, after a few minutes we all could see it.

We landed right in front of the tower in the warm sand, dismounted our animals and looked around. I immediately said:

''And this is the legendary library? A little small, don't you think?''

Sokka agreed with me: ''He's right, this thing can't possibly be the library, it should be way larger.''

Suddenly, Aang, who was standing directly at the tower, called: ''Look at this!''

We all walked over and saw what Aang had discovered: From the window that was in the tower's wall, there was a small path leading steep down.

Sokka said: ''Then is actually is the library. It has be underground.''

Professor Zei dropped to his knees and called: ''Then what are we waiting for? Start digging!''

I looked at the rather ridiculous scene in front of me and thought what the others also had to think: That way, it would take us years to find anything. Toph had walked up to the tower in the meantime and put her hands on the wall. After a short amount of time she said:

''The library is still completely intact underground, and from the looks of it, the path in this tower leads straight into the library itself.''

Thereupon, Sokka and Professor Zei immediately climbed through the window with excited looks on their faces and started making their way down. Aang and Katara followed shortly after, the only ones who would stay outside were Pagan, Appa and Toph, the two animals because they were simply too big, Toph because she obviously couldn't read because of her blindness. Before I climbed through the window myself, I turned towards Pagan and Toph and said:

''Be careful out here.''

Then I followed the others down into the underground library.

Following the long steep path, we eventually reached the enormous library. Its size was really impressive, I only had known the monastery's library so far, but this here was even more huge and spacious, I would say that this library was as big as the whole monastery complex. While we walked through the first of the countless corridors, we suddenly heard something. Shortly after, something came around one of the many corners the bookshelves created, I have to admit that I was actually frightened more than I had been used to so far in my life: It was a giant black owl with a white face. After the initial shock, I quickly realized who we were facing here: Wan Shi Tong, the Spirit of Old Knowledge, there was a statue of it in the monastery's library. The owl towered over all of us and talked to us, it said that humans were no longer welcome in this library, as they would only abuse the knowledge they found to put themselves over any other creature in the world. Aang assured the spirit that we weren't here to abuse the knowledge, we others confirmed this statement. The owl thought for a few moments and eventually allowed us to look around in the library, but only if we would give it some of our knowledge. I decided to give the spirit the copy of a scroll, on which the history of the Assassin Order was written down, which I carried with me coincidently. The owl took the scroll and said to me:

''I know you already. You are very eager to learn and have already read many things in another library that has been blessed by me.''

I bowed, I of course knew that one had to face spirits with respect, that was also the reason why I actually didn't want to abuse any kind of knowledge from this library, if I would actually find something that would be of any interest for me.

We thereupon looked around in the whole library, I didn't find anything of interest, most of the knowledge for subjects that interested me I already knew from the monastery's library. Sokka on the other hand found something quite interesting: First a scroll with strange dates and second a special room in which a strange machine was located. It showed the positions of sun, moon and stars during different times of the year. Sokka entered the most recent date on the scroll, which was in a couple of months, into the machine which started moving thereupon. When it had stopped again, we all stared at the ceiling where the celestial bodies where located. The moon was right in front of the sun, it caused an eerie darkness in the room. I immediately realized what this kind of omen meant: An eclipse! Every fire bender's worst nightmare! Without the sun, fire bending was not possible, our whole physical strength would be weakened without the sun. But Sokka thought that this finding was of greatest value: It could give Aang a better chance to defeat the Fire Lord when the fire benders were powerless. That was also clear to me, but I still didn't feel well thinking about losing my bending abilities. But shortly after, I had to focus my thoughts again, because out of nowhere the spirit of the owl appeared, it was obviously infuriated about what we had done with the knowledge from its library. It let out a very high screech, suddenly the floor started trembling. The library started sinking into the ground even more! We had to get out of here as fast as possible! We ran back to our entry point with high speed, the spirit right behind us. I tried to hurl flame blasts at it while running, but then I realized that I had give it the scroll with the history of the order, it knew about the power of our bending, I was powerless. We ran faster and faster and finally reached the window through which we had entered the library. The spirit was still on our heels, but finally Aang saved the day by causing some bookshelves to collapse, knocking the spirit to the ground. Aang, Katara, Sokka and I jumped through the window, Professor Zei had made the serious decision to stay in the library, something we weren't able to talk him out of because of the massive time pressure.

We landed in the hot sand outside, I saw Toph, who had tried to stop the library from sinking, collapsing to the ground, the tower almost immediately disappeared in the sand dunes. I took some deep breaths, but swallowed some sand that was whirling through the air and had to cough. Shortly after, Pagan landed by my side. He looked like he had been in a fight and said with some sadness in his voice:

''I'm sorry, my friend. I tried everything but I wasn't able to prevent it.''

''What couldn't you prevent?''

It was only at this moment that I noticed: Appa was gone!

''Where's Appa?'', I asked, still panting a little bit.

''Sand benders! They came and attacked. I tried to defend us from the air, but they created a heavy sandstorm and I wasn't able to fly properly any longer. When the sand died down, Appa was already gone.''

That was quite the fine mess there! Aang's bison had been abducted by sand benders! And how should my friends continue our journey now? I had Pagan, but he wouldn't be able to transport all of us.

Sokka asked: ''And are we going to do now?''

Without saying a word, Aang pulled out his glider and rose to the air. I of course knew that he now would do anything in his power to find his loyal companion. Katara asked me:

''Yulizan, what about Pagan? Can he transport us?''

I shook my head: ''I'm sorry Katara, but Pagan is only trained to carry two people at best, with more passengers his flight will become too unstable, so this won't work.''

Katara looked at the ground for a moment and eventually said with determination: ''Then we have to continue on foot from now on, as far as we can get!''

Nobody said anything against this idea, there wasn't really another choice, that's why we headed off shortly after.

So we started wandering through the endless desert, but at least we had a goal in mind, we had decided this while we still had been in the library: We would go to Ba Sing Se to inform the king of the Earth Kingdom about the eclipse and to start making plans for a possible invasion. We walked and walked, but there was still nothing but sand everywhere. Even worse: After some time, the almost intolerable heat caught up with us, I practically drowned in sweat in my robe, it was so bad that I capitulated after some time and took off my robe. I whistled for Pagan, packed my robe, my shirt and my bigger weapons into the bags he was wearing around his neck so that I didn't had to carry them myself, and continued walking, now with my torso naked. I asked Katara to apply a special oil, that I had taken out of my potion bag, onto my back so that the sand would not tear up my scars and wounds again. I tried to remember the survival training I had completed during my training to minimize my body functions so that I wouldn't consume too much water and energy. In the meantime, Sokka had discovered a cactus, cut it up and was just about to drink the liquid inside when I slapped the fruit out of his hand:

''Are you crazy? Cactus juice is poisonous, do you want to kill yourself?''

Sokka groaned, but obeyed and continued walking. We kept on walking, but didn't seem to make any progress. When it slowly started to become evening, Aang finally returned, but he hadn't been able to find Appa. He seemed even more sad than on his departure hours ago and already wanted to give up hope, but Katara and I were able to persuade him to never give up, we told him that we would find the bison eventually.

When the night broke in, we decided to rest for the time being. Pagan landed next to me after he had accompanied us the whole time in the air, I took my things back and put my robe back on, as I knew that nights in a desert could be as cold as a day in the polar circle. Katara explained that we could find the way to Ba Sing Se by orienting to the stars. I looked up to the sky and tried to remember the positions of some striking star constellations I knew from the map in the library. In the early morning, we set out again, the mood was even worse than yesterday. Aang was almost completely irresponsive, all of his thoughts were fixated on finding Appa now. After a few minutes, Toph hit something with her foot that sounded like wood. Aang removed the sand and revealed a strange vehicle. It looked like a small ship with little planks on the bottom. I suddenly remembered: The bandits who had tried to abduct Appa back at the oasis had been driving such a vehicle. It really was some kind of ship, it was able to glide over the sand when it was powered by wind. Katara decided that we could use this thing to get through the desert faster. I however didn't really trust that strange possibly dangerous thing, that's why I decided to play safe and continue this journey on Pagan. Shortly after, I was sitting on my dragon friend, directly above my friends who were all sitting in the vehicle, rushing over the sand.

After some time, we discovered something in the distance that looked like a giant rock, and it turned out to be just that when we got closer. When we had reached the rock, we noticed the many caves that were located in its massif. The others decided to explore these caves, me and Pagan stayed outside to look for possible threats. And something like that seemed to be happening sooner than we thought, because only a few minutes after my friends had entered one of the caves, I asked Pagan:

''Do you hear that sound too?''

''This loud buzzing?''

I nodded before Pagan and I looked at each other with shocked faces: What was building this kind of caves and made buzzing noises? Buzzard wasps! I was about to call my friends and tell them about the danger when all four already stormed out of the cave again, followed by some of the large insects. Pagan and I immediately started attacking the beasts, Pagan spewed a powerful fire blast at one of the wasps, killing it almost instantly, it fell out of the sky. My friends fled from the wasps and were standing in front of the rock now. Pagan and I decided to land so that we would be able to defend all of us on the ground.

Just when another wasp was about to attack, it was hit by a concentrated beam of sand and torn into pieces. The other wasps fled back into the rock thereupon. When the sand had died down again, the reason for its high concentration was revealed to us: The sand benders! Aang immediately took a step forward and confronted them with the abduction of his bison. When they didn't answer him, he destroyed one of their sand gliders. I was shocked, I had never witnessed the young Avatar like this! His bison really had to mean a lot to him that he was even willing to give in to his anger almost entirely. I knew that an intervention or trying to hold Aang back was impossible at this moment, that's why I kept myself in the background. While the sand benders were still asserted their innocence, Toph said that she had heard how one of them had tied up the bison to transport him better. What this statement set off with Aang was frightening: He entered the Avatar State! His eyes and tattoos started glowing bright, with the same monster-like voice he already had used at the Northern Water Tribe while in the Avatar State he asked what the sand benders had done with Appa. But all they could say was that he had been sold to Ba Sing Se. This only made Aang even angrier, he rose up to the air, a whirlwind made of air and sand developed around him. While Sokka and Toph searched for cover and the sand benders fled, I kept standing where I was , the raging air lashed against my hood and my scarf, but I withstood unabashed, when Katara walked up to Aang, grabbed his hand and slowly slid him into her arms. This seemed to calm Aang down, his tattoos stopped glowing, the whirlwind also vanished. He laid there crying in Katara's arms, broken by almost infinite grief. I lowered my head, Pagan appeared next to me. I rubbed his snout, together we looked down on the little despairing boy who was lying there in the arms of a Water Tribe girl. We both didn't know how exactly things should continue now.

 **Next chapter: A venomous path**


	21. The Serpent's Pass

_**Author's**_ __ _ **Note:**_ _This chapter is one of my favorites of this story. I still think I did a very good job with this one, but I knew I would since ''The Serpent's Pass'' is my favorite episode of the whole series. I mainly used this chapter to explore Yulizan's mind and thoughts a bit more, but I won't tell too much, just read for yourself._

After a longer period of time that was filled with silence, I took the word:

''Guys, listen! This way, we do not get any further. We have to pull ourselves together, find a way out from this endless pile of sand and get to Ba Sing Se, we cannot forget the goal of our main mission!''

Everybody knew that I was right, that's why we finally set out again only a few minutes later. Aang continued to hang his head, but I put my arm over his shoulders and said:

''Buck up, Aang, we're going to find Appa eventually, believe me.''

The young Avatar smiled at me for a short moment, but I knew that he was still grieving over the loss of his bison, how else could it be. I decided that it was the best to leave him alone for the time being, I knew that his mood would eventually get better, at the latest when we would have left the desert. Pagan slightly nudged me from the side and looked up to the sky. I smiled and said:

''Just fly, I will call you if we should need you.''

Pagan spread out his wings and started flying over us in wide circles. We continued to march and finally, after another day, faith caught up to us again, the sand dunes became smaller and smaller, the heat lessened and we eventually reached rocky terrain again. We all cheered a little, we had done it, we had overcome the desert!

Only shortly after, it looked like our prayers had been answered, because we actually found a waterfall with a lake! Aang, Katara and I immediately jumped out of our sweaty clothes and into the lake with delight! I dove into the water head first, the cold and the wetness were beautiful balsam on my sand marked skin, the water simply washed away all the struggles from the past few days! I stayed in the water for about fifteen minutes, then I sat on a rock at the edge of the lake and let the sun, which was now pleasantly mild again, shine on my body. I finally felt fresh and recovered again, had access to all my energy again. After I had dried myself up and put on my clothes again, which I also had washed in the lake to get rid of the sweat stains, I went over to Sokka, who was looking at the maps from the library. I looked over his shoulder and studied the map myself, just like Sokka, I also tried to find a both safe and relatively-easy-to-travel-on path to Ba Sing Se. With time, Aang, Katara and Toph also joined us, we all looked at the map and discussed the different possibilities afterwards. Aang, Sokka and I all three had discovered the same possibility: The infamous Serpent's Pass, a very narrow path made out of rocks that was leading across a strait, from our current position, it was the shortest, if not necessarily the safest route, but we eventually decided that we would take this risk, as we had no time to lose.

We got ready to set out, when suddenly three people approached us, a man and two women, one of them was heavily pregnant. They introduced themselves, the man was called Than, the pregnant woman was his wife Ying, the second woman was his sister. They were on their way to Ba Sing Se, just like us, after their home village was destroyed by the Fire Nation. We explained to them that we planned to use the Serpent's Pass to reach the capital, the three refugees however thought of this as a very dangerous idea. Their plan was to travel to Full Moon Bay where they could go aboard a ferry that would bring them all the way to Ba Sing Se. They offered us to accompany them, we accepted after a short discussion, as a ship seemed to be a safer option than wandering over an immensely long rock path.

We reached the hidden underground bay without problems, but the sight was both imposing and disturbing at the same time, the large amount of refugees really got to me when I thought about the fact that all these people had suffered under the iron fist of the Fire Nation. My blood started boiling, but I was able to repress it, an outburst of my anger would only bring us disadvantages in this situation. We queued up in front of one of the many ticket counters and waited to be next in line. When that happened, Aang stepped forward and ordered five tickets, but nothing was handed over to us, as we weren't in the possession of passports and animals, therefore Momo, were not allowed on board of the ships. Even when Aang told the woman behind the counter that he was the Avatar, it didn't get us any further, because all the woman did was pointing bluntly at a group of men who had actually dressed up as Aang! I wasn't really upset by the fact that so many people were trying to steal Aang's identity, but by the fact that most people knew how Aang looked like by now. I was sure that this could bring us some problems sooner or later. Aang had stepped back from the counter in the meantime, Toph however had walked towards it. I asked myself what she was planning, when she put a document unknown to me on the counter. But no matter what it was, it changed the mind of the woman behind the counter immediately, she handed Toph five tickets, just like we had wanted it. When Toph returned, I asked her:

''What did you do over there?''

''Just used my family's power.'', the blind girl replied grinning before showing me the document, the Beifong seal was depicted on it.

I clicked my tongue, I once again had been right, the young earth bender was still sly as a fox.

''And what about Momo?''

''Oh, I told her that he's my seeing-eye-lemur, he can come with us, no problem.''

''You clever little thing, you!'', I said and patted Toph on the back friendly.

When turn around to where the others were standing, I saw that they were talking to a girl I didn't know. Toph and I walked over to them, I asked:

''Who is this?''

Aang replied: ''Oh right, you two don't know each other yet! Yulizan, this is Suki, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Suki, this is Yulizan, he's my protector and an Assassin.'' Since Aang talked about my profession this carelessly, I was sure that he trusted the girl, we shook hands for a short moment.

''So she is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.'', I thought to myself, ''Good to know...''

We continued talking in our little group when suddenly the three refugees we had accompanied on the way here came walking towards us. They told us that their tickets and passports had been stolen, they weren't able to use a ferry to get to Ba Sing Se anymore. We thought about what we could do now, Aang eventually made the decision that he would lead us all over the Serpent's Pass to Ba Sing Se. I still thought of this route as very risky, but still manageable to cross, that's why I didn't said anything against it. Therefore, we started heading towards the beginning point of this fabled path. Suki would accompany us as well, also, she was now wearing her Kyoshi Armor again, now she once again looked like she did when I had first seen her on Kyoshi Island, back then, when I had still been following Team Avatar without their knowledge.

We reached the beginning of the pass, it was marked with a sign and a map. The sign had an inscription: ''Whoever will walk along this path shall leave all hope behind.''

''Not really a good motivation.'', I said chuckling to Toph.

In spite of everything we stepped onto the pass and started walking. The first day went by without any incidents, we set up camp on a large grassy field on the side of the stone path. I sat down at the cliff coast, let my legs hang over the edge and looked out over the sea meditative. After some time, Katara came and sat down next to me.

She asked: ''Are you thinking of them?''

I sighed and replied: ''Yes, of course, actually, not a single minutes passes in which I'm not missing them, sometimes it really gnaws on my mind. But currently, something different is on my mind.''

''What is it?''

I turned and looked into Katara's eyes: ''Do you think that I'm doing the right thing?''

''How do you mean?''

''Well, my whole way of life, do you believe that I'm living my life the way it should be? By dedicating my life to the thought that killing people will result in peace for the world and myself? I honestly begin to doubt this thought. And also, there is this voice...''

''Voice?'', Katara asked surprised.

''Often, in the night after I killed again, I hear a voice in my head, an unearthly voice, it really scares me sometimes. It always says the same, but every time it appears, it becomes louder. Always the same lines, over and over again:

'' **You're only a man, driven by nothing but revenge!**

 **You will never escape what is hidden inside you!**

 **A monster, a monster!**

 **You have turned into a monster!**

 **A monster, a monster!**

 **And it keeps getting stronger!''**

Do you think that this is true? Do I keep alienating from my humanity by ending so many lives?''

Katara grabbed my hands and said with a calm voice:

''Yulizan, you may have done things some people will regard as terrible, and by the things you told us, you will always do such things. But you have always remained yourself. Since we met, you've always been the cheerful yet sometimes stoic and calm guy you simply are. You're definitely not turning into a monster, your actions are clinging to your conscience, that's completely normal. Just continue to be yourself, then you're on the right path.''

I hugged Katara and thanked her. Afterwards, she asked:

''I hope you don't mind if I ask, but what do you have planned for the time after the war is over? I mean, once Aang has succeeded with his task, he doesn't need protection anymore, right?''

''Well, of course I have spent some thoughts on that in the past, I of course want to live a peaceful live, meet a nice girl, have children, you know, the usual. There's still enough time for details.''

''You're probably right with that. Come on, let's go to sleep, we have many things planned for tomorrow.''

''You're right.''

We returned to the camp and laid down to sleep.

The next morning, we set out relatively early, we didn't want to lose too much time. Most of the time, things ran in our favor, but then we stumbled upon a complicated obstacle: A longer section of the pass was flooded! First, we were unsure what exactly to do now, but then Katara stepped forward and raised her hands. The water suddenly split in two, revealing the path, however, it was still underwater a good bit. But Aang was able to help with this. He created a large air bubble that enclosed us all so that we were able to continue walking safe and dry. While we were walking inside the bubble, I suddenly discovered something swimming in the water in the corner of my eye. I immediately sensed the danger and said loudly to Toph:

''Bring us up, quick!''

The younger earth bender forced the path to rise up at our current position until we were above the water again. Only seconds later, not only the large thing that had circled in the water was revealed to us, but also the true reason why the path we were wandering on was called ''Serpent's Pass'' of all things. From the water, a giant sea snake rose up! Everybody screamed in fear, only I was able to keep my nerves, I turned to Aang and Katara:

''Get everybody to safety, I take care of this!''

Aang and Katara commanded everybody further down the path, I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled as loud as I could. Only seconds later, I saw the shadow above me, shortly after, the snake was hit by a strong fire beam. Pagan flew down to a lower altitude, I jumped onto him, the two of us storming right at the snake! It was definitely too big for my weapons to do any kind of damage, but my fire bending and Pagan's raw force would do it!

I said to Pagan: ''Now is your big moment, my friend! Today, you can finally unleash your full power! Come on, let's get that snake!''

I didn't have to tell Pagan twice, he immediately roared loudly und rushed into battle! I shot multiple flames at the snake while sitting on Pagan's neck, Pagan also spew his fires at the beast. We hit the snake again and again, it slowly started staggering. That's when Pagan initiated the crucial attack! With full speed, he flew straight towards the snake's neck, clawed into the reptile's slick and scaly skin and bit into it with all the strength of his jaws! The snake let out a sharp hiss of pain when Pagan tore on its skin and muscles. Eventually, the dragon had loosened the skin far enough so that he was able to rip out large pieces of flesh. Multiple blood fountains splashed into the sea. Shortly after, Pagan had almost completely torn through the snake's intestines, he spew a final large fire directly into the snake's neck, killing it! The dead reptile fell sideways back into the sea, Pagan let out a roar of victory! We returned to our friends who were applauding when we landed. I patted Pagan's snout in appreciation and said:

''Good job, my friend! I always knew that you're a real fighting dragon!''

To the others, I said: ''I think the Serpent's Pass now is in need of a new name.''

We all laughed before eventually continuing our way.

After walking for quite a while again, the end of the pass finally appeared in teh distance.

Sokka said cheerfully: ''We did it! Nothing can stop us now!''

But he cheered to soon, because the second he finished talking, the pregnant Ying suddenly collapsed to the ground in pain. I immediately knew what that meant.

I thought to myself: ''Great! Just now!''

But there was nothing we could do, apparently we had to deliver the baby now. Fortunately, Katara had experience in midwifery from her time at the Water Tribe. Toph bent a tent out of earth, the birth would take place in there. Aang should go and get blankets or something like that, Sokka hot water, Suki would help Katara, who turned to me:

''...and Yulizan...umm...''

But she didn't have to instruct me with anything, because I already had an idea myself. I told Katara to go inside the tent, then I took my brewing tools out from my bag. I looked for the right herbs, threw them in the bowl, poured some water over them and heated it up in my palms, just like I had done with the tea. After three minutes, the potion was ready, I absorbed the heat in the form of the steam over my nose, the potion had to be drinkable immediately, also, heat was never helpful at a birth. I walked over to the tent and entered it. I handed Suki the bowl and said:

''Let her drink this, it will help.''

''What is this?''

''An old potion created by the Assassins, it eases pain by relaxing the muscles.''

Suki bent down and put the bowl to the lips of the panting Ying. She drank the potion slowly and became a lot calmer and more relaxed almost immediately. I smiled and then left the tent, a birth was still a women-only matter and of course I respected that.

Some time later, Katara called us all into the tent, the baby was born, it was a girl! We entered the tent and saw the newborn in her mother's arms. Looking at the baby, suddenly my emotions overpowered me, tears started welling up in my eyes.

I said: ''Excuse me please!'', and walked out of the tent.

I sat down underneath a tree, my face buried in my palms, sobbing. Shortly after, Katara exited the tent as well, knelt down next to me and asked:

''What is it?''

Still sobbing, I answered with tears in my eyes: ''You know, I have already seen so many lives ending right in front of me, whether through my enemies or my own hand, but just now, I have experienced how new life is born for the first time, this is a whole new experience for me, it was just beautiful, I couldn't help it, I'm sorry.''

Katara put her hand on my shoulder and said smiling: ''You don't have to be sorry, I completely understand you, you have already seen so much pain and death in your life, the birth of new life may be new to you, but I think this experience also gives you new power, am I right?''

She was right, I had seen how new life was born, it had been a good experience, the circle of life had begun once again. We are born, we live, we die, a very old but well known philosophy that was used by the Assassin Order in certain situations. With new power in both body and mind, I stood up and returned to the others. Some time later, we finally reached the end of the pass. Aang said that he would now continue his search for Appa, we wished him good luck, I knew that I had to leave the young Avatar alone with this task. Suki also said goodbye, she had to return to her group of warriors. She and Sokka shared a kiss before she left, I saw it with mixed feelings in my chest. Pagan landed by my side and asked:

''Are you alright, my friend?''

''I don't know. Everybody seems so happy, however, I can't identify myself with this feeling yet. But I hope that this will change in the future.''

At this time, I of course couldn't guess that said feeling would reach me sooner than I thought, and a certain girl from the Fire Nation, as foretold by my father, would play a major role in that. But for now: Ba Sing Se, here we come!

 **Next chapter: A mechanical threat**

 _(_ _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own the song lyrics used in this chapter, they belong to Imagine Dragons, I just altered them a little bit to make them fit better.)_


	22. Drills and Flirts

We left the Serpent's Pass behind and were already able to spot the colossal walls of Ba Sing Se in the distance, walls that had never fallen to this day. I had read many things about the extensive history of the Earth Kingdom capital in the monastery's library, therefore I was visibly impressed to finally see the city, or more precisely just its walls at this moment, in all its glory with my own eyes. I was sure that the interior of the city would provide some surprises for us.

After we had already travelled a good distance, Aang returned with his glider, he looked noticeably worried.

Katara asked: ''What is it Aang, what have you seen?''

''It looks worse than imagined. The Fire Nation will try to conquer Ba Sing Se. A giant machine is moving towards the outer wall!''

What Aang reported sounded alarming. I jumped on Pagan to take a look at the machine that Aang had discovered myself. Pagan only had fly a little towards the city, then we could see it already. And Aang had not exaggerated! What was moving towards the city there in the distance had every reason to worry us. It was an immensely long and narrow apparatus, it looked like a giant metal worm. When I took a closer look at the front part using my telescope, I noticed the vast amount of devices and instruments attached to the machine. It slowly started dawning to me what exactly this thing was. I was about to return to the others when I saw that Toph and Aang were moving all travelers over the sandy surfaces straight towards the wall using two rock plates, Pagan had to hurry quite a bit to keep up with the rest of the group.

We reached the outer wall relatively simultaneously and started looking at the approaching machine in the distance together. Sokka rubbed his chin and asked:

''I would really like to know what exactly that thing is.''

I immediately replied: ''I can tell you! It's a giant drill!''

Everybody looked at me questioningly, I continued:

''Yes, you heard correctly, a drill! The Fire Nation will try to drill holes into the walls of Ba Sing Se with the help of this machine to conquer the city in this way! The city is definitely in danger!''

We continued to stare at the machine mesmerized, when suddenly some Earth Kingdom soldiers approached and asked us what we were doing at the Outer Wall. Aang introduced himself as the Avatar and demanded that they should guide us to their leader immediately. To my great surprise, the soldiers followed Aang's demand, I didn't expect this kind of openness from the Earth Kingdom soldiers who were usually considered the toughest fighters in the world. Therefore, a little later, we were introduced to commanding General Sung, who however, even after we explained the new findings to him, claimed that wouldn't need us, or more precisely Aang, to defend the wall, as the walls of Ba Sing Se were unconquerable. I thought back to the most famous historical fact that proved that the man was both right and wrong at the same time. A couple of years ago, General Iroh of the Fire Nation had tried to conquer Ba Sing Se. The Fire Nation troops had made it through the Outer Wall thanks to a ruse back then, but they were eventually defeated at the Inner Wall, even after besieging the city for a whole of 600 days, almost two years. This siege was called the most important military event in recent times by many, it had decisively influenced the war. But the general seemed to forget something: Back then, the Fire Nation had not led such a devastating piece of war equipment, that drill was definitely a new invention which had been specially created for this plan. But even after I enumerated the many possible threats that could arose from this drill to the general again, all he did was assuring that there was nothing to worry about again, as there was also a team of elite earth benders that was instructed to defend the wall. Nevertheless, I stayed skeptical, I had a feeling that we had to fight in another battle soon.

From the top of the wall, we watched the Terra Team, so the name of the elite earth benders, how they tried to stop the incoming Fire Nation machines. They had no problems with the tanks, they simply catapulted them through the air. When only the drill was left however, they were soon stretched to their limits, their attempts failed miserably, the drill was simply too powerful. I rolled my eyes behind my hood and thought to myself:

''So that's an elite team? Then I don't want to know how weak the normal earth bending soldiers of this bastion are!''

But suddenly I devoted all my attention to the scene that happened at the lower end of the wall again, because all of a sudden a sheer storm of throwing knives came flying towards the elite team, they were just barely able to save themselves from the flying blades using some earth chunks. Even though I already had an idea who was behind this attack, I didn't have to think any longer, because from the side of the drill, Mai and Ty Lee came running! Of course, I stared at Ty Lee again, she ran towards the earth benders and easily started to block their chi. I couldn't watch this fiasco any longer, I whistled, Pagan came rushing up, Aang tried to stop me, but I jumped on the dragon who brought me down from the wall to the ground. Just as Ty Lee had finished blocking the chi of the last member of the Terra Team and the man sank to the ground paralyzed, I jumped off Pagan and landed right in the two girls' field of view. Under my hood, I saw Ty Lee's eyes suddenly becoming large when she noticed me.

I stood up and called: ''You will not have it so easy with me, but you know that already!'' During my last sentence, a spiteful, almost diabolical grin appeared on my veiled face. Mai suddenly became furious and hurled multiple throwing knives at me. I used the same technique I had used during the chase, I created a wall of fire sand in front of me, when the knives hit it, they were burned to ash and drizzled to the ground. Mai looked at me completely aghast, the grin returned to my face.

I called with a hateful tone in my voice: ''Not bad, but not good enough!''

Now, I grabbed two throwing knives myself and hurled them at Mai with such speed and skill that she couldn't dodge them, the knives cut her robe on shoulder and sleeve. She stared at me aghast again, I now had a mischievous grimace on my face to provoke her even more. But this time, it was Ty Lee who attacked. She stormed towards me, I decided in the fraction of a second to allow myself to have fun with her again, therefore I allowed her to perform her chi blockade on me. I immediately felt that she was pressing the points on my body a lot harder than she had done back in Omashu, she seemed to believe that it would help her technique, I laughed internally when I imagined her facial expression. When she had finished her moves, she took a few steps away from me and purred:

''I won't fall for this again! I got you this time!''

I laughed quietly but heartily and said afterwards: ''Oh, you little, naive sweet girl! You have no idea what kind of power you're taking on.'' After that, I created a flame in my hand, Ty Lee's jaw dropped to her chest.

I continued: ''Nice try once again, but when will you finally learn something?''

Instead of fleeing in shock like she did last time, Ty Lee became angry and shouted: ''How are you doing that? That's impossible! One cannot simply break a chi blockade!''

I replied calmly: ''If you knew what I'm capable of, girl. Maybe we should meet under more civilized circumstances, then I can show you a thing or two.''

Ty Lee was completely speechless, until Mai told her that they had to retreat. I couldn't hold back and winked at her. If I wasn't wrong, her face suddenly became very bright when she and her friend fled back into the inside of the drill. I nodded to myself satisfied and waited for the others to arrive, as I had seen that they were making their way to the lower part of the wall as well.

When we all met again, Aang immediately confronted me:

''Can you please explain to me what this action was all about?''

But I wasn't able to explain myself, as Sokka was calling:

''Just leave it be Aang, you can still give him hell later, we have to take care of the drill first!''

Sokka had planned that Aang and Toph should bend a tunnel into the ground which would lead them directly below the drill. They should be able to penetrate into the interior of the drill from there. I thought that the plan was workable, but I decided to not enter the tunnel together with the others, but instead circling around the whole area on Pagan, being the eye in the sky so to say. The others agreed on that. Therefore, Aang and Toph bent a tunnel into the ground, hidden inside a cloud of dust, while I whistled and mounted Pagan before we rose into the air together where we had a good view over the whole drill and the wall.

Pagan and I started circling around the area, just as planned, always observing the drill. I felt a little queasy, as I of course wasn't able to see my friends in the underground tunnel, I wasn't even able to say if they still were in the tunnel or already inside the drill. If they were already inside the drill, they hadn't made any major progress so far, as the drill was still moving towards the wall unhindered. It continued doing that, until it eventually happened, the drill hit the wall!

I said to Pagan: ''Oh Oh, this is about to get serious!''

We flew a little closer to the drill, even though I was fairly sure that on the one hand we wouldn't able to do anything to stop it and on the other hand we probably wouldn't notice anything about our friends, but I was mistaken. Because when we flew past the drill's outer shell, I believed to hear fighting noises from inside of the drill. Of course those noises could have all sorts of reasons, but I was pretty sure that my friends were in some kind of fight in there. And could do nothing to help them, I would never be able to crack this shell. So we returned to our original altitude and continued to observe the drill. After some time, something moved on top of the drill. We once again approached the machine and discovered Aang who was now standing on top of the machine. I instructed Pagan to fly as close to the drill as possible so could jump onto it. The dragon did as told, shortly after I landed on the giant drill's metal shell. Aang immediately noticed me and called:

''Yulizan! Come and help me!''

I ran over to the young Avatar who was fiddling with a small bottle. I asked:

''What is it Aang?''

''We were able to do some damage inside the drill, I'm here to deliver the final blow, but I have to cut through these plates to do it. Could you try and heat them up with your fire, that would things a lot easier.''

''I can at least try it.'', I replied.

I conjured up two flames and enveloped my hands with them. After that, I put my hands on the spot Aang had shown me and let the heat go. At first, nothing happened, but then I felt how the metal slowly caved in and started to become noticeably weaker.

''It works!'', I called and Aang came running.

''Alright, then leave the rest to me!''

The young Avatar bent the water from the bottle, formed it into a blade and started cutting the drill's shell. I guarded Aang while he was cutting, it was the right decision, because only some moments later I saw Azula, who was standing on top of the drill now as well.

I called: ''Aang! Continue your cutting, I'll take care of this!'', and started marching towards the princess determinedly.

''My first Agni Kai in a long time, I hope I'm not out of shape.'', I thought to myself while still approaching Azula.

It was her who made the first move, she hurled two of her blue flames at me, but I could block them without any problems. I countered with an intense white flame wave, however, Azula simply jumped over it. I continued my attack with some more flame blasts, but those were blocked by Azula as well. In the following time, we threw many different techniques at each other, however, I never showed too much of my Assassin knowledge, because I was sure that I would meet Azula again and for this case I wanted to keep some aces up my sleeve, this included my purple lightning. After the fight went on for quite some time already, Aang suddenly called:

''Almost got it!''

I flung a last fire ball at Azula, then I ran back to Aang, Azula on my heels. But I had one trick that I would use in this fight: When I was in immediate vicinity of Aang and saw Azula running towards us, I first created a large flame wall which I then extended and converted into a dome of fire. Now Aang and I were surrounded by fire on every side, Azula had no chance to reach us. Aang marked a spot on the drill's shell with a cross before picking up a small rock that was lying close to him, he bent it into the shape of a peg and then rammed it into the spot with the cross with full force.

''Get away and take cover!'', he screamed, I dissolved the fire dome as fast as possible, ran to the drill's edge and jumped off. Pagan collected me mid-air and quickly flew away to get a safe distance between us and the drill. When we turned around, it was just in time for the spectacle, because only seconds later the whole drill broke apart and collapsed! I cheered, we did it, Ba Sing Se was safe, at least for now, I was sure that the Fire Nation would not give up this easily.

We returned to the others who were standing on top of the wall again. When we arrived, Aang confronted me again:

''Even though we have won this battle, you still owe me an answer! What was that action a little while ago about? Why did you just rush into battle?'' I scratched my head, I was unsure if I should tell Aang the truth, which was that I did this whole thing to meet Ty Lee again, I eventually decided not to tell anything, this whole matter would stay my secret for the time being.

So I lied and said: ''I just wanted to protect you, those two girls were about to climb the wall before I intervened, you should thank me that I took this risk!''

Aang settled for this answer for now, however, one could clearly see that he was doubting me and my credibility.

''I'm sorry Aang, but it's better this way, for all of us.'', I thought to myself while I followed the others on the way towards the interior of the city of Ba Sing Se.

 _ **-POV change-**_

Outside of the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee sat in the sand after their defeat and the destruction of the great drill. Azula growled visibly angry:

''That guy in the hood really is very powerful, that was definitely the hardest Agni Kai I ever had until now, he had an answer for every of my attacks! He simply can't have learned this just like that!''

Mai asked: ''But where has learned it then?''

''I don't know, but I will find out, then I'll know how to defeat him!''

Mai's eyes moved from Azula to Ty Lee, who was sitting there dreamy, looking towards the city. Mai asked:

''Hey Ty Lee! What's the matter with you? You're acting this strange since our fight against the hooded guy! Did he do something to you?''

Ty Lee didn't answer Mai's words, instead, with a dreamy voice, she said:

''His eyes, so blue, so full of power, passion, determination, the eyes of a warrior, he has everything...''

Mai approached her friend and clicked her fingers in front of Ty Lee's face:

''Hey! Are you even listening to me?''

Ty Lee shook her head for a second and suddenly looked focused again:

''Yes, I'm listening! What is our next step?''

Instead of Mai, Azula answered: ''First we go to Ba Sing Se, then we'll see.''

Ty Lee immediately jumped to her feet: ''What are we waiting for then? Let's go!''

She started walking towards the city enthusiastically. Azula and Mai shook their heads, what was happening with this girl, they both asked themselves. Ty Lee on the other hand had quite different thoughts. She looked at the Outer Wall in front of her, imagined his face, his eyes and said in her mind:

''I hope I meet him again, I want to see him again!''

 **Next chapter: Life in Ba Sing Se**


	23. New Foe, Old Enemy

The destruction of the drill and the associated protection of the city paid off generously for us, as we were lead straight into the Inner City. When we entered the city, the astonishment almost took my breath away. I had never seen such a giant city ever before in my life! House were placed side by side, one couldn't locate the other end of the city at the horizon at all. We were lead to the so called Upper Ring, the noble district of the city. There we eventually reached a smaller house that was provided to us during our stay in the city. My friends were really excited, but I already had other plans. When the others wanted to enter the house, I kept standing at the bottom of the small stairway.

Katara asked me: ''What is it Yulizan? Don't you want to go inside with us?''

I replied calmly: ''No, I won't be living in this house.''

All four were visibly surprised, Aang asked:

''And where are you going to sleep and stuff like that?''

''Don't worry, I already have something in mind.''

''And what if we should need you?''

''Firstly, I won't be that far away and secondly if there actually should be such a big problem that you will need my help, I will eventually notice it. So, why don't you go inside and settle down a bit, see you!''

I waved the others goodbye and continued walking down the street.

While walking, I kept an eye out for my destination, as I had planned the following: Ba Sing Se was one of the most important cities in the whole known world, therefore, it was technically impossible for us Assassins to not establish ourselves here. Like in every major city in every nation, there were multiple so called ''hideouts'' in Ba Sing Se as well, houses that looked like they were unoccupied, but in reality they were secretly owned by the Assassin Order to provide accommodation for travelling Assassins. I was searching for such a hideout right now, and only minutes later, it seemed like I found it. Only a few hundred meters away from my friends' house, there was a house of the same architectural style, with the slight difference that the windows were covered with wooden boards.

''This has to be it!'', I thought and started to climb up the few stairs to the door.

I examined every inch of the door frame until I found what I had been looking for in the top left corner: The Assassin Order's sigil had been carved into the tanned wood and was painted with white color. I was happy that I had found the hideout. I searched in my pocket for the master key of which a copy was handed to every Master Assassin at their appointment ceremony. The lock of every hideout was built exactly the same, therefore, one only needed one single key to enter all of them. After a few seconds I had found the key, inserted it into the lock and silently opened the door.

The first rule when entering a hideout: Searching all rooms for possible threats or intruders. One of my katanas in the right and a small flame that also gave light in the left hand, I silently snuck through the few corridors, entered all rooms, checked every corner. After a few minutes, I sheathed my katana in relief and ignited the many light sources located in the rooms using the flame in my hand, as I had expected, nobody was in the house. Since every room had light now, I was able to look around in the building a little more. Of course the first impression one most likely would have when looking at the outer part of the house was wrong, inside everything was neatly furnished, just like if somebody would live in this house permanently. I of course knew that hidden aides of the Order were taking care of the hideouts during the times no Assassin was using them. I went into the bedroom, removed my weapons, robe and boots and laid down on one of the sleeping mats. I crossed my arms behind my head and looked up to the ceiling while thinking about what we would probably experience in this city. Of course, we technically had a mission to carry out, but some relaxation never hurt. I decided to sleep a little for the time being, after that, I would start wandering around the city to familiarize myself with it. With this thought in mind, I fell asleep shortly after.

I woke up only a little later already, but well recovered nonetheless. I blinked through the gaps between the boards in front of the window, the sun was barely able to squeeze through, but I was able to tell that it was still broad daylight outside nevertheless. I stood up, put my equipment back on and left the house again, I wanted to look around the city now. Therefore I started wandering through the Upper Ring where many people were out on the streets. Most of them looked like they were upper class, as expected, and did not deign to look at me at all most of the time. But when I started to approach the Middle Ring, the scenery changed: The people and their activities stayed bustling, but the atmosphere became a lot more darker and uneasy. Alongside the inhabitants, there were strange men standing around every corner, they wore bowl hats and green robes that bore a sigil that seemed very familiar to me, but I wasn't able to assign it in the first moment. When I heard yells behind me, two of these men ran past me and called:

''Stop! In the name of the Dai Li!''

I winced! Did he just say Dai Li? A wave of great anger went through my body, I knew just too well what the Dai Li was. According to official descriptions, it was the secret security service of Ba Sing Se, a team of experienced earth benders who had the duty to provide peace and quiet in the city. But like it was for many other public stories, I knew the truth: The Dai Li was a faction hostile to the Assassins, though they were once founded by Avatar Kyoshi to protect Ba Sing Se, but a few years ago, a man who was a sworn enemy of the Order took over the Dai Li: Long Feng, also known as ''The Gaijin''. In his youth, Long Feng had been a member of the Assassin Order. Armed with powerful earth bending abilities and the brain of an ingenious manipulator, he had all the requirements to become a very good Assassin. But what the Grand Masters didn't foresee: Long Feng was more slimy and cunning than every snake, he craved for power like a megalomaniacal usurper. About 15 years ago, he had revealed the location of the Assassin monastery to the Fire Nation to earn himself an important political position in the Earth Kingdom. The Fire Nation army attacked the monastery, but they hadn't the ghost of a chance against the extensive defensive measures of the monastery and the Assassins' fighting power. All witnesses were eliminated, the Order preserved its anonymity. From this day on, Long Feng was outlawed in the whole world by the Order, he was to be eliminated immediately upon discovery. Also, the Grand Masters marked him with the name suffix ''Gaijin'', ''Traitor'', forever. After his betrayal, Long Feng absconded to the Earth Kingdom and disappeared. It was only when he took the leadership of the Dai Li that the Order became aware of him again. But every assassination attempt failed, he was always able to escape and disappear again before the attack could take place. But here I was, in Ba Sing Se, and I would find and kill the Gaijin, so the honor of the Order demanded of me!

I continued wandering through the streets, now always keeping an observant eye on the Dai Li agents, always ready to react to a possible attack. Even though some of the men made strange faces when I passed them, but they didn't seem to actually become suspicious. The conditions around me changed continuously as well: While the beginning of the Middle Ring, the citizen district, had still looked quite sustainable, I now seemed to move into the more poor regions of the city. The streets became dirty, the people wore torn clothes, the alleys were darker and damper. I sometimes was really shocked when I saw under which bad circumstances some people had to live here, and what it even worse: It seemed like government didn't do anything about it. Something had to change as fast as possible, I thought to myself, I mean sure, we were in times of war, but a city should still try to give its inhabitants the best chances to live a peaceful and enjoyable life. Since I was thinking about the war already: During the whole time I had walked through the streets I had noticed that most of the people had acted very unconcerned, it had almost looked like there wasn't a war going on. Sure, optimism was never wrong, but so collectively? That appeared a little strange to me. After some time, I turned around and walked back towards the citizen district, I could not stand it long in the ghetto. When I walked through the Middle Ring again, I suddenly heard a familiar sound above me. I turned around and looked up. I had heard correctly, it was Momo, who was flying towards me before he landed on my shoulder. I petted the bat lemur's ear a little, then he handed me a small scroll that he had carried. I opened and read it, it was from Aang. He wrote that there was a party at the Earth King's palace tonight and he and the others planned on going there to try and speak with the Earth King. Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to accompany my friends. With Momo on my shoulder, I returned to the street where our houses where located.

In the evening, we all got ready to go to the party. Toph and Katara got dressed up very neatly, as they both wore festive dresses. I too had dressed more fittingly. Alongside food and other things from the daily life, there was also a large wardrobe in my hideout, in which there were many different robes and costumes. To hide my Fire Nation background, I had decided on a loose green robe with numerous silver ornaments, it almost made me look like a nobleman. Similarly, I set aside most of my weapons for this evening, I only kept my arm blades on the sleeve of my undershirt. Also, for the worst case scenario, I still had my fire bending.

Some time later, we had reached the palace. While Katara, Toph and I chose the main entrance, Aang and Sokka decided to take a more hidden route, they entered the large building through of the many side entrances. At the entrance, a guard blocked the way, I showed him a passport that identified us as high-ranking personalities, another aid from the hideout, and also handed him a little pouch filled with gold coins, the man let us in without questions. But we weren't able to see much of the party as only minutes after our arrival we saw how Aang and Sokka were lead away by Dai Li agents. We of course followed them to avert any possible altercation, but it was too late: The agents exposed Aang as the Avatar! We ran over quickly and positioned ourselves in front of Aang protectively. But instead of attacking, the agents stepped aside and an older man approached us. We was wearing the typical clothes of a member of the royal court, had a long pigtail and a shrewd pointed beard. He ordered us to follow him, we eventually did.

The old man lead us into a large conference room. He told us to wait on one side of the room while he himself walked to the other side. My instinct told me that this guy was not an easy man to deal with. He turned his back on us and asked:

''Avatar! What gives us the honor of you visiting our great city?''

Aang answered: ''First of all, I would like to know who you are.''

The old man answered immediately: ''Of course, where are my manner? I am Long Feng, Grand Secretary of Ba Sing Se and leader of the Dai Li brigade.''

My jaw almost dropped to the floor in shock! This old man, who was only standing a few meters away from me, was the Gaijin! Even after a couple of minutes, I still couldn't believe it. The traitor who almost destroyed the Assassin Order was standing right in front of me, completely in the open, without any protection. All I had to do was walk up to him and ram my blade into his gut, then I would have destroyed the Order's greatest enemy! But my convinced me of not doing it: If I cut him down here and now, we would never be able to get out of this palace alive. I only carried my most important weapons and I wouldn't be able to take on the master earth benders of the Dai Li with fire bending alone. That's why I decided to lull the Gaijin into a false sense of security and wait for the right moment. The Gaijin now explained that in Ba Sing Se, it was forbidden to say even a word about the war, as the undisturbed worldview of the citizens should not be destroyed, as the true commander over the events in the city, the Gaijin made sure that things were as they were. Therefore, the Earth King only held representative functions, the citizens could look up to him, follow him. Here it showed itself again, the sliminess of the Gaijin, how he had orchestrated this whole affair, he now virtually had complete control over the largest city of a whole country. He also threatened us with forcible expulsion from the city, should we break the rules and talk about the war in public. After that, he dismissed us, however, we should leave the palace immediately. When we left the room, I darted a hated look at the Gaijin from under my hood.

In my mind, I said: ''Just wait, you little lousy snake! I will get my hands on you eventually and you don't want to imagine what will happen next!''

Afterwards, I followed the others out of the palace. We decided that we wouldn't be able to speak to the Earth King for the time being, therefore, we could allow ourselves some days of vacation.

I was very pleased with this decision, since I now would have enough time to pursue a private goal of mine that I had strived for since we entered the city. I would begin to search for someone, someone very special...

 **Next chapter: First love?**


	24. Hot Nights in Ba Sing Se

_(WARNING! Lemons/sexual content in this chapter!)_

On the next day, we all started our ''vacation''. Katara and Toph decided to have some sort of ''girls day'', Aang wanted to continue his search for Appa and Sokka didn't quite know what he wanted to do and therefore stayed in the house for the time being. I too wanted to translate my plan into action and try to find her, my feeling told me that she was somewhere in the city.

When I left the house after a small breakfast, I first of all had to think about where to start my search.

''She always looked like she came from a good home.'', I thought to myself, ''which means that she will most likely be somewhere in the Upper Ring, if she is in the city at all.''

I decided to simply wander through the streets and alleys of the Upper Ring for a start while looking for her inconspicuously. I climbed down the stairs and started walking. I also wore more casual clothes today, just like yesterday, even though they weren't as festive as the robe I wore at the party. It was a simple green and brown garment of light, not too loose fabric, with fitting shoes and of course a hood, which I wasn't wearing at the moment since I didn't have to veil my identity if I didn't accidentally get into a conflict with for example the Dai Li. I continued wandering through the streets, I was amazed that, despite the early hour, there was already quite a bustle. Many people were on the streets already, in every store I passed the merchants already presented their goods. To strengthen my breakfast a little more, I bought myself a fresh pear at a fruit stand which I ate while walking. Just like yesterday, I was amazed how carefree the citizens of Ba Sing Se lived, as they had no idea that there was a bloody war happening behind the massive walls of their city. I was inclined to tell at least a couple of people about the true happenings in the world, but Long Feng, the Gaijin, had threatened us with forcible expulsion from the city if one of us would say only a single word about the war in public, and of course I didn't want to jeopardize our mission just because of a short twinge of self-righteousness.

While I was wandering, I looked at every girl that I passed and was about the same age, but unfortunately, she was never among them. The longer I walked and searched, the more my hope to find her faded. I just thought about how long I should continue to walk, when I turned the corner of a house and crashed into somebody with full speed. The impact was so strong that both me and my counterpart fell to the ground. I rubbed my forehead which I had hit on my counterpart's skull and raised my head to see who I had knocked down. But what, more precisely who I spotted took me by complete surprise: Right in front of me on the fortunately deserted cobblestone street sat Ty Lee! I really couldn't believe it in the first moment, I had found her! She now raised her head as well and looked directly into my eyes, her own eyes suddenly became huge. With one voice, we both said at the exact time:

''You!''

I stood up quickly and offered her my hand:

''I'm sorry, that was my fault, I should have watched better where I was going.''

She grabbed my hand and I pulled her back to her feet. She smiled and tapped the dust off her loose red clothes:

''It's alright, half as bad. I didn't expect to see you here. Don't worry, I'm not here to fight today.''

''I thought so, if you would have wanted, you probably would have done something already.''

She laughed and answered: ''Yeah, but answer me a question: What are you doing here?''

I hummed and hawed a bit, but eventually plucked up the courage and said:

''If I am to be honest: I have been looking for you.''

Her eyes became huge again, then she heavily blushed and said quietly:

''You too?''

I slightly tilted my head and asked perplexed:

''What do you mean with: You too?''

Ty Lee's cheeks reddened even more, then she replied:

''I mean that I've been looking for you too.''

Now I was flabbergasted! We both actually have had the exact same idea, this simply couldn't be a coincidence! Even though I was pretty sure that I knew the answer already, I still asked:

''Why have you been looking for me?''

Ty Lee's face now finally took the color of a tomato, she hummed and hawed and answered haltingly:

''Because...I...think...you're...cute...''

My jaw almost dropped to the ground in surprise. The girl that had fought and tried to kill me two time already thought that I was cute? I remembered my father's words. Was this what he had meant? I had to admit, since I first saw Ty Lee back in Omashu, I found her really beautiful, also, I still liked her bubbly personality. But could such feelings really evolve into something more serious?

I said to her: ''Thank you for the compliment. I also have to say that I find you really pretty, and I also like your whole behavior, so cute and bubbly, it always makes me very happy.''

I could swear that steam shot out from Ty Lee's ears when I said these words. Was she really this excited? Did she really felt something like this? I gathered all my courage and asked her:

''Do you want to walk through the streets a little and talk with me? Then we could get to know each other better.''

Ty Lee's face lit up in happiness, she smiled and said: ''I would love to!''

She just took my hand, this made me blush a little myself, luckily she didn't see it. So we continued wandering through the streets, hand in hand. I had a strange feeling in my stomach, was it what I thought it was? Well, I guess I would find out eventually...

 _ **-POV change-**_

Katara and Toph enjoyed their girls day to the fullest and wandered through the Upper Ring joyfully, talking about all sorts of girl things. But when they wanted to enter one of the numerous side streets, Katara suddenly stopped, held Toph back and whispered:

''Shush! Don't go there!''

Toph asked baffled: ''Why, what is it?''

''Yulizan is standing a little down the street.''

''Great, then we can meet with him and...''

Katara snubbed the young earth bender.

''Ty Lee is with him!''

Now Toph's face darkened as well, she stood next to her friend when the two of them peeked around the corner, Yulizan and Ty Lee fixed with firm eyes. After some minutes, Katara commented:

''They seem to get along very well.''

When Yulizan continued walking down the street, hand in hand with Ty Lee, a few minutes later, the two girls stepped out from behind the corner and discussed what they had seen.

''I don't believe it! Yulizan is actually ogling at our enemy!''

''What do we do now?'', Toph asked.

''We wait till he comes back, then, when we get the chance to be alone with him, we confront him!''

''Sounds like a plan. Now what about our relaxation day?''

''It continues just like before, don't worry.''

Already laughing again, the two friends continued walking through the streets.

 _ **-POV change back-**_

Ty Lee and I walked through the streets joyfully and talked extensively. I learned about her noble origin, how she had attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls and met Azula and Mai there, her growing up with six sisters, her escape from home and how she started working in the circus afterwards. I was really fascinated by the bubby girl who radiated an unbelievably strong zest for life. When she told me about her six sisters, I commented:

''And I thought two younger sisters and a younger brother are already an ordeal.''

We both laughed heartily at this comment, after that, I started telling her the complete story of my own life. She was very shocked when I told her about my family's death, but she was even more thrilled when I talked about my ascension through the ranks in the Assassin Order. When I had finished telling the story, she said:

''So I was right! You really are a warrior, this power, this passion, this determination in your eyes, everything was true!''

''How could you read all of this out of my eyes?''

''When you had grabbed me by the hand in the forest, I had been able to see your eyes clearly, even with your hood on, their shine immediately casted a spell over me.''

''Whoa! Never thought I would be able to do such things.''

Meanwhile, we were relatively close to my hideout already, I told Ty Lee:

''Look, I live in that house over there.''

I pointed at my hideout with my finger. With a questioning look in her beautiful eyes, Ty Lee asked:

''But why does it look like it's abandoned?''

''That's only the impression from the outside, just wait.''

I only realized after a few seconds that I just had indirectly invited her to my home. We climbed up the stairs to the door, I took the key out from my bag, unlocked the door, we entered the house. Ty Lee seemed to be really amazed by the fact that the house was completely furnished and habitable. I spread my arms and said:

''Welcome to my humble home.''

''What exactly is this place?''

''Well, you need to know the following: We Assassins are represented worldwide and since we do not always find a secure accommodation, some time ago, the Grand Masters developed the Network of the Hideouts. The Order bought abandoned houses in every larger city, silent aides kept them in check and afterwards, the newly furnished houses served traveling Assassins as temporary quarters. This is exactly how it is here, this is my hideout in Ba Sing Se.''

Ty Lee was amazed once again, like she was about practically everything I had told her about the Assassins. I led her through the whole house and showed her every room. When we arrived back in the hall, we stood facing each other, I asked her:

''So, what do you want to do now?''

''This!''

Without warning, Ty Lee moved her head forward, her lips touched mine. Shocked at first, I gave into the kiss relatively fast, I had to confess that I had wanted it too this whole time. We stood there kissing in the middle of the room for what felt like several hours, then Ty Lee removed her mouth from mine and looked me in the eyes, I looked back. I noticed a single little tear in her canthus, but I knew that it was a tear of happiness. With a quiet but unbelievably beautiful voice, Ty Lee said:

''I love you!''

I looked into her beautiful glittering eyes, saw her face that was overpowered by joy and the bubbly, enamored smile, then I answered:

''I love you too!''

Ty Lee's eyes became huge with happiness again, she flung her arms around my neck and kissed me again. During the kiss, I once again had my father's words in the back of my head. He really had been right! I would definitely play a pivotal role in Ty Lee's life because I loved the girl and I would never let her go again!

After further sheer endless minutes of kissing, I lifted Ty Lee up from the ground , she wrapped her legs around my lower back. Closely entwined and still kissing, I carried her to the bedroom where I gently put her down onto one of the sleeping mats. I laid down on top of her, broke the kiss for a second and asked:

''Are you sure?''

''Of course I'm sure, I love you and I want to feel you!''

That was the permission I had needed. I removed my mouth from Ty Lee's lips and started placing little kisses on the rest of her face and her neck, while my hand simultaneously started wandering towards her breasts. I moved her top aside and started massaging her well-shaped and quite big breasts. She visibly enjoyed it and already moaned a little. After a few minutes, my hands wandered deeper, while my mouth now had found its place on her right nipple. While I used my tongue, I tried to remove her loose pants with one hand, I eventually succeeded after a few tries. While my mouth and my tongue continued to do their job obediently, my fingers now started to caress her smooth skin gently. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing my hand had ever touched, so silky, so smooth, just wonderful! With time, my hand slowly moved down further and further until I reached her Holy Point. When I started massaging said point with my fingertips, Ty Lee moaned again, now much louder than before. Shortly after, my mouth followed my hand, my lips came in contact with the warm liquid of her womanhood. My tongue now worked on her Holy Point while I slowly inserted two of my fingers that were under my chin into her. This combination gave her the loudest moan so far, and I wasn't willing to let it end. My tongue and my fingers became faster and faster, her moans became louder and louder until she finally reached her climax after 10 minutes and a real ocean of warm, sticky liquid spurted into my face. I looked up to her pretty face, her eyes were rolled back in pleasure, I smiled. Suddenly, she jumped up, turned me around so that I was now lying on the ground and said:

''You made me happy, now I'm going to make you happy!''

Without objections, I let Ty Lee remove my cloth pants, my best man virtually jumped straight into her face. In the first moment, she looked surprised, but soon, determination returned to her face and she started to rub him slowly but surely. I had felt this feeling a couple of times now, especially in the last months, but now, together with the feeling of love, it was even more intense than anything before. Ty Lee lowered her head, she gave me a questioning look, I immediately nodded, whereupon she started using her mouth. This feeling was more intense than before as well, everything was simply indescribable now! I know that I could best show her my love by lasting as long as possible, which I eventually did, only after full 15 minutes I unloaded my seed into Ty Lee's throat. Even though she choked a little and therefore coughed afterwards, she still looked highly satisfied, just like me. She smiled again and said quietly:

''Time for the main course!''

She swung her legs over me, positioned herself correctly and slid onto my re-excited manhood with one swift motion. I came across a small resistance, but was able to overcome it fairly fast, even though this caused Ty Lee to let out a small cry of pain. But once said pain wore off, she fully gave in to the passion and started moving in an unbelievable rhythm. This feeling was definitely the best feeling I had ever felt in my 18 years of age, and I was sure that it would be really hard to find a feeling that could top this one. Immensely spurred by the feeling of love, we both lasted amazingly long until we both reached our second climax together about 20 minutes later.

Some time later, we laid side by side on the sleeping mat, exhausted but happy, Ty Lee had her head on my chest. I moved my fingers through her long brown hair, she said:

''That was the best feeling of my life, thank you so much, for everything!''

Instead of answering, I gently grabbed her head with one hand, turned it so that she looked at me and kissed her tenderly.

I said: ''I love you, so much, I want you to be happy, I want us both to be happy, together!''

''Yes, I wish that too.''

She put her head back down onto my chest and fell asleep shortly after. I stared at the ceiling and thought. So this was it, the feeling of true love, I had read so much about it, but the pleasure to feel it myself, it couldn't be put into words! I had found the woman of my life in Ty Lee, I wanted to stay be her side forever! At this moment, I made a great decision: Once the war was over and peace was restored, I would marry Ty Lee and start a family with her. This was my new life goal and would give it my all to achieve it! I actually never thought that would be able to be this happy again after the loss of my family, but Ty Lee had made it and opened my eyes. Now I was ready for everything, because my life now had a deeper meaning again.

Get ready, forces of evil! The Assassin now is stronger and more powerful than ever before!

 **Next chapter: Death to the Gaijin!**


	25. Duel at Lake Laogai

The next morning, Ty Lee and I and woke up together. She raised her head and smiled at me:

''Good morning.''

''Good morning, slept well?

''Of course, I've been dreaming of you all night.''

''Oh you!''

I gave her a little kiss, then I turned my head and looked towards the window. The sun was already shining through the cracks in the boards, it was probably already bright outside. We rose slowly and began to dress again. While we did this, I asked Ty Lee:

''So, what's on the agenda today?''

''Well, first off, I think that I should return to my own quarters, the others are surely already wondering where I have been this entire time.''

Of course I knew that with she meant Azula and Mai when she said ''the others'', but I didn't say anything about it. Instead, I asked:

''Tell me: Do you actually like what you're doing?''

She looked at me questioningly: ''How do you mean?''

''Well, do you like travelling with Azula and Mai? I mean sure, you have been friends for a very long time, but during our previous encounters you always seemed as if you didn't do what you did voluntarily.''

She shook her head a little and finally said:

''Well, you are not wrong with that.''

''Then why do you continue anyway? Just leave those two behind and come with me! Just us two, taking on the world!''

She took my hand and answered:

''As nice as I think this would be, I just can't, because otherwise Azula...''

''What otherwise?''

I saw her eyes become very frightened, tears welled up in them. With a trembling voice she said:

''Otherwise...she...will...''

She couldn't continue as she burst into tears and started sobbing loudly. I embraced her and gently stroked over her smooth hair.

''Calm down, don't worry, I'm here, you don't have to be afraid.''

I let her weep herself out, then I said:

''Let me tell you something: If Azula ever only lays a finger on you, then she will wish she had never been born, because then I will take care of her and I won't hold back!''

I saw a little touch of shock in Ty Lee's face, but it was quickly replaced with relief. I smiled and kissed her again, afterwards I said:

''Don't worry. With me by your side, you don't have to be afraid of nothing and no one!''

She hugged me dearly, then we left the house together.

We went to one of the big crossroads of the Upper Ring, that's where our paths should separate. When we had reached the place, we looked into each other's eyes again and kissed one more time. After that, Ty Lee said with a sad voice:

''It's really hard for me to leave you, but I hope that we can see each other again soon.''

''I hope that too.''

We hugged one last time, then Ty Lee turned around and started walking away. She waved at me, I waved back and thought:

''Take care of yourself, girl. Don't worry, soon, we can spend all the time in the world together.''

When Ty Lee had disappeared from my field of view, I turned around as well and started walking back to my hideout, more precisely, to my friends' house, as I was sure that they had planned something for today. When I entered the street where our houses were located, I already saw from afar that my friends just left their house and started walking down the street. First, I quickened my steps to catch up with them, but then I slowed down and hid behind the corner of another house when I discovered the two Dai Li agents who were coming out of a side street and started following my friends with safety distance. I immediately realized that those two were up to something, I decided to follow them inconspicuously and observe them, while simultaneously following my friends.

As it turned out, my friends had set off into the city to distribute posters that were holding a picture of Appa everywhere, that was probably to get a better chance of finding him. The two Dai Li agents had disappeared only a few streets after I had discovered them, therefore I had been able to catch up with my friends relatively fast. Nevertheless, I of course stayed vigilant, I was pretty sure that those two agents were still hiding in the shadows somewhere. I helped my friends to distribute the posters, while doing so, I noticed that Katara, who was walking with me, repeatedly darted strangely grim glances at me. What was wrong with her? Had I done something wrong? Nothing came to my mind. While we were deepened in our work, suddenly, out of nowhere, a young man approached Katara and me. He wore blue and red clothes, carried two swords with hooks on his back and had a blade of grass between his teeth. Katara became furious all of a sudden and charged at the guy.

I asked: ''What's going on? Who is that?''

''Jet! A so called freedom fighter who doesn't care about anything or anybody!''

That's when I remembered the stories Pagan had told some time ago. He had told that Team Avatar once had encountered so called freedom fighters who I had rather called terrorists. And this guy was one of them? Then I would probably do the world a favor if I would remove him from the face of the earth! I walked up to him, pulled one of my daggers while walking, grabbed him by the collar, pushed him against the nearest wall and put my dagger on his throat! He looked at me, scared to death, and called:

''Hey man, what are you doing?''

With a grim look in my eyes and a dark voice I said: ''Give me one good reason why shouldn't slice your throat open here and now!''

''Because I'm here to help you.'', Jet gasped.

Katara asked grimly: ''And why should we believe you?''

''He says the truth.'', it came from Toph who had appeared on the scene now as well. ''His heartbeat stays completely normal, it would be noticeably higher would he lie.''

That seemed logical to me, I loosened my grip and removed my dagger. Jet took a few deep breaths and then ordered us to follow him to a big warehouse. When we arrived there, he said:

''This is the place where your bison was imprisoned.''

Toph added: ''He's right, here!''

The young earth bender had picked up a tuft of fur that was of the same color and type of hair as Appa's.

''Are you searching for the giant bison?'', an old man holding a broom suddenly asked. ''I'm sorry, but you're too late, the fine animal has already been shipped to Whaletail Island in the southern polar circle.''

''Well great! We would need months to get there without any proper form of transport!'', I said annoyed.

But Aang seemed to be completely determined to risk this forlorn hope and Jet wanted to join him. We decided to come along as well, as Katara and I still didn't trust the slyly grinning terrorist.

Some time after our departure, we were stopped by two strangers. They turned out to be companions of Jet, a young girl named Smellerbee and a mute young man named Longshot. With their appearance, Katara became furious again, as Jet had claimed only shortly before that he had left his group behind. Jet asserted that he had told the truth as he was now living a peaceful life in Ba Sing Se, but Smellerbee said that he had apparently been arrested by the Dai Li some time ago.

I asked Toph: ''Who is right now?''

''Both.''

What? That could not be! But surprisingly, Sokka had an explanation:

''They both think that they're telling the truth. Jet has somehow been influenced by the Dai Li to get rid of us!''

That was the last straw! That treacherous Gaijin! He was using techniques of that kind now to gain an advantage for himself! Oh, I would bring him such infernal pain that he would beg on his knees for me to end it quickly! The others decided to question Jet about where he had been held when the Dai Li had manipulated his mind, as Aang suspected that Appa was there as well. Therefore, I tied Jet's arms and legs with my metal-enforced ropes and Katara used her healing abilities to loosen his mind so that he could remember. He slightly remembered something that he described as an underground base hidden beneath a lake. Smellerbee realized that it had to be Lake Laogai, a lake not far from Ba Sing Se. We decided to set out and pay this lake a visit.

When we had reached the lake the next morning, we noticed nothing unusual first. But after a short search, Toph discovered a hidden tunnel that led under the lake. Through this tunnel, we reached a wide-ranging underground location, just like Jet had described it. Jet walked first and led us through the many rooms filled with green pillars to a cell in which Appa apparently had been held in, as it was the only cell of the complex that was big enough to hold a sky bison. When we got closer to the cell, I suddenly felt an enemy presence close to us.

I said: ''Watch out! Somebody is here with us!''

We turned around and were already face to face with Long Feng and other Dai Li agents. Long Feng, the Gaijin, took a step forward and talked with a diabolical grin on his face:

''Did you really believe that could outsmart me? You won't find anything here. Now, please follow me, you will be led out of Ba Sing Se at once.''

Now I couldn't hide my identity behind my anger anymore. I stepped in front of the others and said with a dark voice:

''We won't follow you nowhere,...Gaijin!''

Long Feng's eyes grew huge with shock, he stammered: ''You...are...no...that is impossible!''

I put on my grimmest expression and continued talking: ''The Order never forgets, Long Feng! You have betrayed us! You were marked forever! And now you will be judged so that the Spirits can give you your fair punishment!''

Long Feng stared at me with a face full of fear, then he told the other Dai Li agents:

''Get them!'', before he himself ran in the other direction and out of the room.

I of course immediately rushed after him, Aang and Jet followed me.

We chased Long Feng through large parts of the complex, until we finally caught up and confronted him inside a large hall. I fixed him with my eyes and said:

''There's nowhere left to run for you, Gaijin! Face your destiny and the Spirits might have mercy with you!''

''Never!'', Long Feng shouted, before he started reciting some kind of formula, it was so quietly that I couldn't understand any clear word, but it resulted in Jet's eyes suddenly turning completely white and him attacking myself and Aang. He grabbed both his hooked swords and wanted to charge at Aang, but I was able to intervene at the last moment, our swords collided with a loud clinking sound. I saw his white eyes and the true power of the Gaijin's manipulation in them, I had to kill him as fast as possible, before he could turn even more people into spineless slaves using this dreadful technique. We fought for several minutes, I tried everything to break Jet's trance. Finally, a possibility arose: I made a circular motion with my katanas, driving his swords apart so that I was able to hit his chin with a well-aimed knee strike. He staggered backwards, stunned, but still on his feet. He looked around slightly confused, then I saw that his pupils had reappeared again, I had broken the trance! Long Feng stared at the whole scene completely aghast before he shouted:

''What are you waiting for? Attack them!''

But Jet was no longer under his control! The young freedom fighter stormed at the Gaijin and tried to attack him with his swords. But I already had a feeling that this would not end well for him, as Long Feng had the training of an Assassin and therefore was an experienced fighter. And I was right! He dodged the attacks and countered with a devastating punch with the edge of his hand against Jet's chest. I knew this punch, it was one of the many unarmed lethal attacks used by the Assassins. If the Gaijin had performed the punch correctly, which I assumed, then there was unfortunately no more help for Jet, as the punch caused a fissure in the heart, causing the victim to slowly bleed out internally. The Gaijin once again grinned diabolically as Jet crumpled to the ground lethally wounded.

He said quietly: ''Well boy, you wanted too much!'', before he fled again, out of the hall, towards the surface. I took a look at Jet, who was lying on the ground, and called Aang:

''You stay here, I'll get Long Feng!''

Aang nodded and ran over to the wounded freedom fighter. I followed the Gaijin, out of the complex and back outside.

When I reached the surface, I saw the Gaijin standing directly at lakeside, he seemed to recover from the escape.

I called: ''Gaijin! There's no escape! You will pay for all your crimes!''

Long Feng turned around, when he noticed me, his face became frightened again. But only seconds later, this face changed into a determined one, when he said:

''If you want it this way, boy, then so be it!''

So there we were standing now: Assassin against Assassin, fire bender against earth bender, and only one of us would leave this lake alive! Long Feng made the first move and bent himself some earth chunks which he then hurled at me, of course I was able to dodge them easily. I countered with two big fire bursts, Long Feng could dodge them just barely, as he was also shocked by the white flames in the first second. So the fight continued, always even, it was clearly visible that the two of us, even though he were of different elements, had practically experienced the same training, but I still had the advantage that my training had been way longer than his, therefore, I technically still had more experience, even though the Gaijin was older than me. With time, the Gaijin was noticeably able to wear me out, he was clearly targeting my endurance, the constant dodging and blocking of his earth bending really took it out of me. So much that I became unobservant for a second, Long Feng used this to tie my arms and legs using boulders he created from the ground. Now I was hanging there, defenseless, Long Fend walked up to me with his diabolical grin on his face, he said slimy:

''Well, looks like I'm superior to you. And you call yourself Master! Ridiculous!''

He bent himself a sharp peg of stone which he held a few meters away from my face, ready for the final blow! He grinned into my face once again and said:

''Send the Spirits my regards!'', but I coldly replied:

''I'm not the one who meets the Spirits today!''

At the same moment, the rocks that had tied me exploded into a million pieces, because of my fingers being free inside the boulders, I had been able to create Impulsive Lightning, their charge had blasted the rocks. By the force of the explosion, Long Feng was thrown backwards, but I was long from finished yet! I concentrated, began a quick form of the lightning concentration practice, stared at Long Feng's terror-stricken face and fired a purple lightning at him with full power! The electricity crackled loudly when it shot through the air and hit the Gaijin with all its force! He was thrown backwards again by the force and landed a few meters further, his whole body smoking, on the ground. I walked up to him, grabbed my little crossbow, loaded it with a steel bolt and then bent over the defeated Gaijin, who was still staring at me filled with fear when he laid there in front of me, paralyzed. I rose again, pointed the crossbow at his head, said:

''Last Assassin standing!''

and fired the crossbow bolt off right into his forehead! All that was heard was the clack of the shutter, then everything was silent. I had done it! I had killed the Gaijin and thereby accomplished of the most important missions of the Order! I was really proud of myself!

Shortly after, my friends came back to the surface as well, and to the joy of us all, they had Appa with them! They had found him in another cell in the complex. When I noticed that Smellerbee and Longshot were not with them, I asked:

''Where are the others?''

Aang and Katara hung their heads, I immediately understood. I clenched my hand into a fist and tapped me on the chest while I looked up to the sky and said:

'' _Anxi_ Jet! May the Spirits give your soul eternal peace!''

Afterwards, we made our way back, Pagan was also glad to see Appa again, he had noticeably missed his aerial companion. While we were flying, I asked myself what would happen now. Long Feng was dead, technically, our way to the Earth King was now free. But what would happen to the Dai Li, now that they had no leader? Maybe I could do something about that, we would definitely talk about everything important with the Earth King. Of course, I also thought of Ty Lee, how things would continue for us two. Despite our love, we were still on opposing sides, a condition that would hopefully not last much longer.

As so often, one had to practice patience and let the next events just come upon oneself. And just the events of the coming days should have something ready for us.

 **Next chapter: Caught in the middle**


	26. Infiltrated!

After we had left the airspace above Lake Laogai, we discussed the further course of our mission. Katara and Toph both spoke out in favor of leaving Ba Sing Se, as we had no other reason to stay here after finding Appa. Sokka interjected that we actually had another reason to stay: We had to deliver our information to the Earth King so that we could count on the Earth Kingdom's support in case of a possible attack on the Fire Nation. Aang agreed with him on that, I said that I would go anywhere, no matter what we would do. Resigned, Katara and Toph eventually agreed on returning to Ba Sing Se to talk to the Earth King.

When we had reached the city again, we immediately headed for the Upper Ring where the palace was located. We ignored the palace guards and walked straight towards the throne room. When we entered it, we saw the Earth King sitting on his throne at the other end of the room. He looked up confused when we entered and asked:

''Who are you? What are you doing here?''

Aang stepped forward and said: ''We are here to bring you some very important information, your majesty.''

And so we told the Earth King everything about the war, our information and everything else. When we had finished, he gave us a questioning look and said:

''And why should I believe this preposterous story?''

Sokka pointed at Aang's tattoo and said visibly annoyed:

''He's the Avatar, is that enough?''

The Earth King rubbed his chin and said: ''Normally, I discuss such events with Long Feng, my first secretary, but I don't know where he is, I haven't seen him this whole day.''

I stepped forward and said unemotionally: ''Long Feng is dead! He was a disgrace for this world, a germ, all he cared about was increasing his own power. He died like he lived: As a slimy perfidious snake!''

The Earth King was visibly shocked by my words, but then he said:

''Well, you might be right about that, I always had the feeling that Long Feng was hiding more than he showed me. But that still doesn't prove most of your claims.''

Aang stepped forward again: ''We have one big piece of evidence. There are remains of a giant drill at the Outer Wall of the city. It had almost pierced the wall if we had not destroyed it. We can show it to you if you want, then you should believe us.''

The Earth King visibly wrestled with his thoughts, then he said: ''Alright.''

Aang was happy, he had reached his goal. Together with the Earth King and his pet bear Bosco, we headed back to the Outer Wall.

We reached the wall without problems, the Earth King was very happy when he was flying through the air on Appa's back. But his eyes became serious when he saw the scraps of the drill from on top of the wall. After a few minutes he said:

''I have seen enough. You have convinced me. We should return to the palace and discuss our next steps.''

I saw Sokka with a big grin on his face next to me, he seemed to be pleased that our, or like he would say, his plan had worked. We returned to the palace forthwith, when we had reached it, the Earth King spoke to us:

''I hereby ensure you the support of the Earth Kingdom in the event of a possibly invasion on the... what did you call it again?''

''The Day of the Black Sun. An eclipse that will leave every single fire bender without their powers.'', Sokka added.

I once again felt uncomfortable when I was reminded of the eclipse, I still wasn't able to get used to the thought of losing my bending abilities or maybe even being so weak that I wouldn't be able to fight with my weapons properly. We continued discussing further plans with the Earth King when shortly after five men came storming into the throne room.

Aang asked: ''Who are they?''

The Earth King answered: ''The Council of Five. The supreme authority over the Earth Kingdom military.''

The generals were all carrying multiple documents each when they walked through the room towards us. One of them said:

''Your majesty! We recovered these scrolls from Long Feng's office! Apparently he owned documents holding information about every single person living in Ba Sing Se!''

I turned to the Earth King and said: ''See? I told you! A snake!''

The Earth King gave me an approving nod before turning back to the generals. One of them was carrying only a small amount of scrolls which also looked different from Long Feng's documents.

''And what about those scrolls?''

''Intercepted messages. A message for the Avatar, a letter for Toph Beifong, a letter from the Northern Water Tribe and a report by a certain Hakoda from the Southern Water Tribe.''

Katara's and Sokka's faces immediately brightened when they heard that their father was still alive and had even sent them a message. The message for Aang was from a guru named Pathik who was living in the Eastern Air Temple. He wrote that he could help Aang mastering the Avatar State. The letter for Toph was from her mother who currently was in Ba Sing Se and would like to meet up with her. The letter from the Northern Water Tribe was for me. I opened and read it. It was from Runa. She wrote that she was happily married and doing very well now. Her husband had treated her like a queen since I had given it to him straight. She also wished me good luck for all my missions. I smiled when I packed the letter away, I was happy once again that I had been able to help the girl from the Northern Water Tribe this well.

In our group, we now discussed our personal next steps. Katara had made the proposition that we should split up so that everyone could individually follow the new knowledge we had received. We others didn't think of this as the best but still the most useful proposition. We talked about the best possible ways and then made a decision: Katara and I would stay here in the palace to help the Earth King, Aang would drop off Sokka at the Water Tribe base before flying to the Eastern Air Temple and Toph would go and meet with her mother. The next morning, Aang and Sokka got ready to set off. While they did that, the Earth King received a message. A group of three Kyoshi Warriors had arrived in Ba Sing Se, asking for an audience. Sokka and Katara immediately assured the Earth King that he could trust the warriors and they would definitely prove themselves to be powerful allies. The five of us all hugged one last time, then Aang, Sokka and Toph left the palace.

Katara and I followed the Earth King back into the palace, when we arrived in the throne room again I asked the king:

''Your majesty, please excuse the question, but what exactly will be my function while we are here? Katara is going to help you with the preparations for the defense of Ba Sing Se, but what about me?''

The Earth King sat down on his throne and said: ''Well, Master Yulizan, you have defeated and killed Long Feng, the leader of the Dai Li, in an, as you have described it, honorable fight, head-to-head. By the right of the winner of a duel, I hereby appoint you the temporary leader of the Dai Li. May you look after the safety of this city better than Long Feng.''

I was the new leader of the Dai Li? I was pretty surprised in the first moment, I had completely forgotten about the rights of a duel in the Earth Kingdom. It was true: When two people dueled on Earth Kingdom grounds under Earth Kingdom law, the winner received every belonging, title and everything else of the loser. I had defeated and killed Long Feng and thus had also taken his position. I saw good and bad things in this. Good because I could certainly lead the Dai Li back to its former glory, bad because I could imagine that the agents would most likely not accept me as their new leader. But well, I would try my best, that's why I answered the king:

''I will restore the Dai Li's old honor, your majesty.''

''Commendable, Master Yulizan.''

Shortly after, a servant entered the throne room and said: ''Your majesty! The Warriors of Kyoshi have arrived in the palace.''

''Very good, I will greet them right away.''

We followed the king out of the palace. The three warriors were already waiting in front of the gate, they knelt next to each other. The Earth King stepped forward and spoke:

''Warriors of Kyoshi! Welcome to Ba Sing Se. I hope that you will enjoy your stay.''

The warrior in the middle said quietly: ''We definitely will.''

When I heard her voice, I winced internally! I didn't mishear! These weren't Kyoshi Warriors here in front of us! These were Azula, Mai and Ty Lee! I stared aghast at the scene in front of me from under my hood. Luckily I was wearing my green disguise robe, otherwise Azula definitely would have recognized me. I peeked over to Ty Lee. She saw me too and winked at me. I wasn't sure what kind of game was played here, but I would certainly find out soon.

I decided not to tell neither Katara nor the Earth King about my detection for the time being, to not unnecessarily unsettle the latter and to not have to reveal my relationship with Ty Lee to the former. In the period of time that followed, the Earth King treated the fake warriors like true guests of honor, he even told them the city's military strategies like it was nothing. I would have liked to slap myself when I heard the king talking about the many different aspects of the Earth Kingdom army. I also had visible problems following both my tasks. On the one hand, I of course needed to officially lead the Dai Li, on the other hand I of course wanted to keep an eye on Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. The control over the Dai Li proved to be a fairly easy task, I simply transferred the authority over to the highest-ranking agent who was second in the hierarchy. Thus I only had to attend possible official meetings or announcements. The Dai Li agents had apparently accepted me as their new leader when I first showed up at the headquarters, I had made sure that I looked as authoritarian as possible, but the whole thing was still suspicious to me. I rather used my time to tail the three girls anyway, however, they didn't do anything conspicuous for quite a long time. But then, one day, an opportunity arose: I followed Mai and Ty Lee out of the palace, the girls sat down on the stairs and started talking. I pressed myself against one of the many pillars and eavesdropped on the two. And the topic they talked about was more than interesting: Apparently, Azula planned an infiltration of Ba Sing Se to conquer the city from the inside and to dethrone the Earth King. To achieve that, she wanted to gain control over the Dai Li. Ice-cold shivers went down my spine. The Dai Li agents were still officially under my control, but I was sure that if I didn't kept on paying attention Azula would sic them on me faster than I could say 'eclipse'.

I returned into the palace and planned my next steps. I thought about how I could win the complete loyalty of the Dai Li agents. I continued wandering through the corridors when I suddenly heard a loud call behind me. I quickly melted into the shadows of a niche in the wall and started waiting for what would happen. The call came from Katara, who came storming into the palace after she had gone for a walk in the city some time before. He ran straight towards the fake Kyoshi Warriors. I foresaw that she intended to do something very foolish, but even if I had wanted to intervene, it was already too late. Katara spoke to Azula and told her what she had seen in the city. Shortly after, Azula turned around, I saw the shock in Katara's eyes before Ty Lee appeared from out of nowhere and paralyzed Katara with her chi blockade. The three friends stood over Katara who was lying on the ground, I didn't know what I should have done in this moment, therefore I continued to wait. The three friends turned around shortly after and wanted to leave the palace, with the paralyzed Katara in tow. I silently stepped out from my hiding place, snuck over to one of the pillars and continued observing from there. I looked in the direction of the three girls for a short moment and noticed that Ty Lee had turned around and looked directly at me. She looked over to Azula and Mai, who were deep in a conversation while trailing Katara behind. Thereupon, Ty Lee ran back, straight towards me. We hugged each other briefly, then I asked:

''What's with the masquerade?''

''Azula has constructed a plan which she wants to use to conquer Ba Sing Se.''

''Yes, yes, I know about the plan already.''

Ty Lee asked surprised: ''How?''

''I eavesdropped on you and Mai while you were sitting on the stairs. I recognized you three immediately after your arrival, but I didn't say anything to protect us all.''

''And what are you doing here in the palace?''

''Well, the Earth King has appointed me the new leader of the Dai Li, I now have control over Ba Sing Se's security police.''

Ty Lee uttered a sound of shock: ''Oh no!''

''What is it?''

''Azula! She wants to gain control over the Dai Li to translate her plan into action.''

''I'm afraid that we won't be able to prevent that, unfortunately, but those agents don't trust me even in the slightest, it's probably going to be easy for Azula to gain their trust.''

''And what are you going to do then?''

''Oh, don't worry about me, I will be ready to take those guys on. You should take care of yourself, don't do anything rash, lull Azula into a sense of security, don't worry, I will vouch for you if necessary. Now go, quick, before they notice that you're gone.''

We kissed for goodbye, then Ty Lee ran back to her friends who were about to leave the palace. I kept standing where I was, scratched my head and thought: Katara was gone and there was nothing I could have done about it, but I would definitely go and try to free her sooner or later. The Dai Li was as good as lost for me, if I even had the control over them at all at some point. Now I was completely alone here in the palace. So what should I do? I thought about it and eventually decided to uphold the illusion as good as possible until my friends would return, then we could start searching for Katara together and deal with Azula and the Dai Li. But in all this confusion, I hoped that most of all Ty Lee would get out of this whole thing unscathed. Should something happen to her, I would never be able to forgive myself for not protecting her!

I knew that the following days would be very important, but of course I didn't know that they would open up another night black chapter in my soul, they would leave their mark on me, reshape me...

 **Next chapter: It's all over...**


	27. The End Of All Hope (Book 2 Finale)

In the following time, my plan to uphold the illusion proved to be more difficult than imagined. Just like I had anticipated, Azula had been able to get the Dai Li under her control without any major problems. One morning, when I was called into the secret police's head office for a meeting, I immediately felt that something was wrong. Every agent that was present stared at me with a strange look in their eyes.

I asked: ''What is the problem now, guys?''

One of the higher-ranking agents answered: ''You are the problem, sir!''

Without any further words, all Dai Li agents started attacking me! Fortunately I had expected this. Before even a single chuck of earth was able to hit me, I threw a phial filled with the substance that generated black smoke on the ground and vanished from the agents' sight. I appeared behind the agent who had talked to me for a short second, grabbed his head and twisted it to the side, breaking his neck, killing him. That's how I made sure that I left a message. Following that, I fled out of the building, only seconds later, I believed to hear Azula's vicious laugh.

''Now we really have a problem!'', I thought to myself while fleeing back to the palace.

Some hours after I had reached the palace again, the next problem already arose. I had told the Earth King that all the Dai Li agents had turned against me, but that I most likely had unsettled them enough to not be of any danger for the time being. Now the Earth King wanted to welcome the two owners of a small but relatively well-known tea shop in the palace, as he had already heard a lot of good about the tea of this shop and wanted to try it himself now. I wandered through the palace, the king had assigned me a new role as the captain of palace security after the Dai Li's mutiny, a role I could live with for the time being, as I was now able to roam around in my usual environment as a lone wolf again and didn't have to command a small army anymore. So I also discovered the two tea shop owners when they entered the palace. But when I saw who they were, I quickly took cover behind a pillar. They really were Prince Zuko and General Iroh of the Fire Nation!

''What are they doing here in Ba Sing Se?'', I asked myself while I observed them how they were told to wait a moment before the king would welcome them. I looked around briefly to see if I could possibly find a better vantage point, and indeed: Above me, between the individual pillars, were wooden beams, strong enough to stand on them. Protected by the shadows, I climbed the wall with the help of some reliefs and finally pulled myself up onto one of the wooden beams. Now, with the help of the shadows, I had an almost perfect disguise and also a good overview over the entire hall. I didn't have to wait long before something happened: Multiple Dai Li agents entered the hall, encircling Zuko and Iroh. Shortly after, Azula herself entered as well, that nasty witch had actually managed to get the Dai Li under her control. She confronted her brother and her uncle, but the latter stayed completely calm and continued to drink small sips of the tea he had brought with him.

''I would like to have his calmness!'', I thought to myself while watching the whole scene from my vantage point. But shortly, it showed that the tea had a reason, as General Iroh suddenly spewed a giant blast of fire from mouth, knocking down several Dai Li agents in the process. I was surprised, the fewest fire benders had mastered the art of fire breathing, the Assassins also taught it, I had learned it as well but I almost never used it since one could burn oneself way to fast in the process, even if one was a Master Fire Bender. Iroh and Zuko now broke through the line of Dai Li agents and blasted a hole into the palace wall. Iroh immediately jumped through the hole, but Zuko stayed behind. He told Azula that he wouldn't continue to run away from her but would fight her instead!

''Boy, be careful what you wish for!'', I thought to myself, I had experienced Azula's formidable fire bending skills firsthand and I was much more advanced than Zuko, he probably wouldn't have the ghost of a chance if he chose to really fight her. But a fight didn't occur at all, as the Dai Li agents subdued and arrested Zuko. Azula looked very pleased when she left the palace with the Dai Li agents and her captive brother. I leaped down from my vantage point and thought about my next step. But I didn't have to strain my thoughts for too long, because only shortly after, Aang, Sokka and Toph came storming into the palace. Aang immediately approached me and asked:

''Yulizan! What happened? Where is Katara?''

I rattled through a short version of the events that had happened since my friends' departure. When I had finished my report, Aang said:

''Let's go to our house, maybe we'll find something there!''

Even though I was pretty sure that we wouldn't make a find there, I of course still followed the others.

We had reached the house a couple of minutes later, but it was empty, just like I had thought, and there weren't any clues of Katara's whereabouts.

''I told you! Katara must be in some secret place.''

''But where?''

We weren't able to think about possibilities for long, as there suddenly was a knock on the door. I reached for my katana, ready to strike! The door opened, revealing General Iroh! To everybody's astonishment, Toph greeted him like they would know each other which turned out to be true shortly after, Toph told us how she and Iroh had once met in the forest during our escape from the tank. Iroh asked for our help to rescue Zuko from Azula's clutches. Sokka was very skeptical at first, but Aang and I were able to persuade him in the end. As a sign of trust, I raised my left hand and showed Iroh my ring finger, he nodded in agreement. Therefore, we decided to start searching for Zuko and Katara together. When we wanted to leave the house, we stopped in surprise: There was a bound Dai Li agent standing in front of the house, according to his own words, Iroh had detained him during his escape from the palace. He now wanted to question him where exactly Zuko was held prisoner. Fortunately, I was quite the good interrogator. I first put one of my daggers to the agent's throat before starting to move the other one over his skin menacingly, whenever he didn't want to answer our questions, I carved a new wound into his skin. But luck was on our side, the agent was a pretty weak fellow, after only a few minutes we learned that the Dai Li operated a large underground prison inside a natural cave called ''Crystal Catacombs'' in which both Katara and Zuko were most likely incarcerated now. When we had found out all the information we needed, I said ''Thank you!'' and rammed my dagger into the agent's neck. I ignored the others' shocked faces while we started searching for those catacombs.

When we had reached the place the agent had described to us, we decided to split up. Aang and Iroh would go down into the catacombs to free Katara and Zuko, while Sokka, Toph and I would go and inform the Earth King. The three of us headed for the palace immediately, we were able to reach the throne room without any resistance, but there, a dangerous scene unfolded in front of us: Azula, Mai and Ty Lee were present and had took the king hostage! I yanked the hood off my head, this moment should contain nothing but truth! As soon as my face became visible, Azula's eyes opened wide, she screamed:

''YOU!''

I replied with a dark voice: ''Sorry, today I'm not polite, princess!''

''Mai! Ty Lee! Give them hell!''

The two girls charged at us, but I simply leaped over them and ran towards Azula. She let go of the Earth King and hurled a flame at me. I however simply caught it mid-air and threw it back, Azula was just barely able to dodge it. Although the fight seemed even at first, the tide turned against us relatively fast when several Dai Li agents came storming into the throne room, making the fight even more difficult. Azula used all the confusion to escape. I knew that I had to follow her, that's why I mobilized my powers and started eliminating all the Dai Li agents that had attacked me with extreme violence. Afterwards, I ran out of the room, following Azula. While running, I glanced at Ty Lee who was fighting against Toph. Our eyes met for a short moment, she nodded. I knew what she wanted to say with that:

''Don't worry, I'll be careful not to hurt any of them.''

I was grateful to my love in thought and continued pursuing Azula.

Through several tunnels, we eventually reached the subsoil of the city, after a final curve I saw Azula who blasted a hole into a wall, after I had rushed through it, I stopped in amazement: We seemed to be inside the Crystal Catacombs, there was no other name that would have fitted this place better. Everywhere, whether from the walls or the ceiling, crystals in many different were growing out of. While I looked around, I spotted Aang, Katara and Zuko. I ran and positioned myself at my friends' side. So there we were standing: Three against two. Aang, Katara and myself against Azula and Zuko. Azula looked at her brother and said:

''Think about it Zuko! The two of us, we defeat the Avatar together, then father will welcome both of us with open arms. Your honor would be restored, you would be a free man again!''

I clearly felt the deceitfulness in Azula's propositions, but I stayed silent and waited for one of both to make the first move. In the end, Zuko surrendered himself to Azula and hurled the first flame at Katara. Thus began the battle, Zuko against Katara, Aang and me against Azula. Right at the beginning, I dug up a new trick from my wide repertoire of abilities and created two long fire whips in my hands, I unleashed their unbridled power on Azula! But she dodged the attack skillfully, only to be catapulted backwards by Aang's air bending shortly after. The fight was very hard and very long, everybody involved was most definitely equal regarding their fighting skills. I always tried not to completely exhaust myself, I knew that if I wanted to survive this battle, I had to be able to use all my energy. After some more time, Azula and Zuko gained even more of an advantage, as several Dai Li agents came storming into the catacombs. Their appearance resulted in a great exchange of earth bending powers, when Aang and the agents each created a large wave of rubble which they then hurled at the opposing side.

At this moment, I committed what I would later describe as maybe the biggest mistake of my life: To avoid the flying debris, I jumped to the side but dropped my cover for a brief moment in the process, Azula used this and hurled a flame at me that I wasn't able to block in time. The fire hit the left half of my torso with full force! I clenched my teeth to not cry out in hellish pain when the flame scorched my robe and burned the skin on my chest and shoulder. I sank to the ground, my right hand pressed onto the bloody and burned wound, then my world turned black. But I only stayed unconscious for a few moments, when I woke up again, the pain was still unbearable, but what I had to watch one second later completely tore me to shreds: Aang was entering the Avatar State, his eyes and tattoos glowed brighter than ever before, he started ascending into the air. I thought that this could be the moment that would give us the victory, but it became maybe the worst defeat of my life! Because suddenly a lightning flashed through the catacombs, directly hitting Aang with full force! His glowing eyes shot open wide, I suffered the shock of my life, as I knew exactly what has just happened: Aang had been fatally wounded while in the Avatar State! And if an Avatar was killed while in the Avatar State, then this was the end of the Avatar Cycle, there would never ever be a new Avatar! When Aang fell towards the ground, I screamed at the top of my voice:

''NOOOOOOOOO!''

Katara caught Aang using a wave before he hit the ground, she placed him in her arms. I stood up arduously, my right hand still pressed on my wound to stop the bleeding. Suddenly, General Iroh appeared in the catacombs, he called out to Katara and me:

''Get out of here, quick!''

With almost unbearable pain in my upper body, I followed Katara who was carrying Aang's dead body in her arms.

We managed to leave the catacombs, the pain in my shoulder became worse and worse. Back on the surface, we met with Sokka and Toph, we all knew that we had to flee as fast as possible. I had no strength to call Pagan, thus I also climbed on Appa, we rose into the night sky. Katara placed Aang's corpse in the middle of the saddle. I looked at the young Avatar's dead body and wasn't able to hold back my tears, they were both tears of grief and of pain. I couldn't believe it! I had failed! I hadn't been able to fulfill the task of protecting the Avatar with my life, a task the Spirits themselves had given me! I had disappointed everybody! My family, the order, the whole world! I no longer had the right to walk the earth! With tears and pain filling both my mind and body, I said to the others:

''This is all my fault! I wasn't able to protect Aang! I have failed my task! I have no more reason to live!''

Katara, despite also being marked by grief, replied: ''Don't say something like that!''

''No Katara, don't say another word! It's my fault and my fault alone that we have lost the Avatar forever and I alone will bear the consequences for that!''

I looked at everybody: ''I wish you all that you can continue to lead a largely good life, but for me, there's nothing left to live for! Farewell, my friends.''

I whistled and waited for Pagan. Katara said:

''Wait Yulizan, there's one thing left you have to tell me.''

I looked at Katara when she continued:

''What was that between you and Ty Lee? Did you have something going on with her?''

I looked at the water bender aghast: ''How do you know about this?''

''Toph and I have seen the two of you in Ba Sing Se, hand in hand. So, did you have something going on with her, yes or no?''

I pressed my hand onto my wound again when the pain became stronger again for a second, then I answered:

''If you really want to know: Yes! I had something going on with Ty Lee! I fell in love with her! So what? I regret nothing! I have feelings and followed them! But that doesn't matter because that has no future anymore as well!''

At this moment, Pagan appeared next to Appa, I really struggled with the mounting, when I finally sat safely on the dragon's neck, I looked at my friends one last time:

''Farewell!''

Then Pagan flew away, heading for the Assassin monastery.

We reached the monastery and landed in the courtyard where many Assassin recruits were standing in two rows, creating a lane. I climbed down, looked at Pagan who hung his head in sadness, and started walking through the lane the recruits had created, still suffering hellish pain from the wound, at the end of the lane, the Grand Masters were waiting. I sank to my knee and said with a tear-filled voice:

''Masters! I'm so sorry! I have failed! The Avatar is dead! I wasn't able to protect him! I have disappointed the Order! I have disappointed the Spirits! I have disappointed the world!''

The Grand Masters remained silent until Lao Zhu finally took the word:

''You know there's only one process for this kind of failure, Master Yulizan.''

''The Purification!''

''Correct! Perform the Purification and wait for the judgment of the Spirits. We will pray that they may have mercy. Good luck, Young Master!''

I rose again and walked over to the monastery's arsenal, still under pain. In there, I approached a small metal chest that was standing on a decorated pedestal. Inside that chest was the tool for what was maybe the most cruel and most dangerous ritual know to the Assassins: The Purification! It was only performed when an Assassin had suffered such a great shame which only the Spirits had to judge. I opened the chest and saw the weapon I had only read about in stories until now, I never thought that I would need to use it myself one day. It was a cat o' nine tails made of metal, every tail also had a metal ball covered with thick spikes at its end. The Assassin who was performing the Purification had to go to his personal quarters, completely disrobe himself, kneel down on his meditation mat and then flagellate himself to unconsciousness using the whip! During the phase of unconsciousness, the Spirits would judge over him and either send him back into the realm of life or pull him into hell to suffer for all time! I grabbed the whip determinedly and made my way to my quarters.

When I had reached my room, I locked the door, removed all my weapons and clothes and put them into a large chest, as I wasn't sure if I would ever need them again. Afterwards, I knelt down on my mat in the middle of the room, completely naked. I took the whip in my hand with firm grip, lunged out and hit my back with full force! The pain was the worst feeling I had ever felt, the spikes on the balls pierced through my skin and tore at my flesh! After some more blows, my whole back was already covered with deep and bloody wounds. With every blow, I let out a bloodcurdling scream, I wanted to show that I had realized my sins and was doing penance now! With every blow, the pain become more intense, I slowly started losing the feeling in my arms, but I still continued to hit my back. My mind became foggy, my consciousness was only hanging by a thread. I lunged out one last time, as strong as never before, the last blow was the hardest, several pieces of skin were torn out of my back, my vision became dark, the whip slipped from my hand, I fell forward and lost consciousness.

So here I was now: On the threshold between life and death, my destiny was now in the hands of the Spirits! How would they decide? Would they ban me into the eternal torments of hell? I would have deserved it for the shame that I had brought over the world. Or would they decide on giving me one last chance? I was in limbo, staring towards an uncertain future.

 **Next chapter: The awakening**


	28. Phoenix From The Ashes

I, or more precisely my mind, found myself, or itself, inside an endless black mass. I saw nothing but blackness and didn't know what to do, as I was able to move, but because of the missing orientation, this lead to nothing. Then, all of a sudden, I once again heard my father's voice in my head:

''Concentrate!''

I did as I was told, even though I didn't know on what exactly I should concentrate on. Therefore, I only performed the standard practice: Creating a single fixed spot in one's mind and thinking of nothing else. When I was able to clearly see the spot in my mind, I suddenly realized that it had started to come closer and closer towards me. I still remained fixed on it, no matter how close it might come. Then, ultimately, the spot collided with me in my thoughts, which caused my eyes to open wide. I was surprised: The black mass had disappeared! But the place where I was now was even more surprising: It was the entrance hall of my old family home.

''What does this mean now?'', I asked myself, and received an answer shortly thereafter:

''Yulizan!'', someone said behind me.

I turned around and saw my father, standing a few meters away from me. He was fully clad in a bright white robe, even in death he had remained loyal to the Assassins. His silhouette glowed whitish-blue, he started walking towards me.

''Father!'', I called, before I hung my head and said sadly: ''I am so sorry!''

My father put his hand on my shoulder and asked: ''What are you sorry for?''

''I have failed! I did not manage to fulfill my task! I haven't been able to protect the Avatar! He was killed while he was in the Avatar State! It's over! The world is doomed! I have disappointed you, all of you! I have disappointed the Order! I have disappointed the world!''

I wasn't able to hold back while I was still speaking and broke out into tears. My father rubbed my shoulder and, after my crying fit had died away, said to me:

''Follow me, I will show you something.''

He guided me through the dark room to a little table on which stood a large bowl filled with water. My father touched the edge of the bowl with his finger, the water lit up brightly. My father made an inviting gesture with his hand and said:

''Look inside!''

I positioned myself in front of the table, bent over the bowl, and glanced into the glowing water.

In the first moment, the scene appeared blurred, but then I recognized Appa, and Katara, Sokka and Toph on his back. Aang was lying in the middle of the saddle. It was seemingly short after I had left my friends. Katara rolled Aang's corpse over, I was now able to see his face. His closed eyes and his pain-filled facial expression tugged at my nerves. Katara now took a small phial out of her pouch. I recognized the design, Master Pakku had given her this phial back at the Northern Water Tribe after the battle against the Fire Nation, it contained some water from the Spirit Oasis. Katara opened the lid, trickled some drops of the water into Aang's mouth before rolling him over again. Once again, I saw the big round wound that Azula's lightning had burned into the skin of Aang's back. Katara poured the rest of the water onto the wound and spread it using her healing powers. I stared tensely at the scene and even closer at Aang. For some moments, that seemed like an eternity to me, nothing happened, I was about to give up hope once again, but then suddenly Aang's tattoo lit up for a very brief moment and he opened his eyes very slightly, it was almost not visible. I couldn't believe what I had just seen! The image of Aang's slightly opened eyes still in my mind, I moved my head backwards, out of the water again.

With shock visibly written in my face, I looked at my father again and asked quietly:

''So...that means...Aang isn't...''

My father nodded: ''You haven't failed, my son. The Avatar is still alive, your mission has not failed yet. You can still save the world.''

All of a sudden, every sad and bad emotion seemed to vanish from my mind, they gave way to the well-known focus and the determination.

I asked my father: ''But how do I get back? I have performed the Purification, the Spirits have to decide if I'm worthy to return into the world of the living.''

''The Mantra. Recite the Mantra. But you must not feel any emotion other than certainty, then the Spirits will show mercy and send you back.''

I immediately knew what my father meant. The Mantra was an ancient sacred formula of words that the Old Masters had used to lengthen the lives of old, sick or wounded members of the Order by convincing the Spirits that their souls were not ready yet to be taken into the Spirit World. And now I should try to manage what was thought to be impossible until now: using the Mantra to return into the world of the living from the realm of death! It sure was a very risky undertaking, but I had to try it! With a hug, I bid goodbye to my father.

''Farewell, father. Don't worry, I won't disappoint you! I will fulfill my mission! I will avenge you so that you can finally rest in peace!''

''Take care, my son. Walk in the shadows! Make me proud! And don't forget one thing: This is not your only mission, there is another one waiting already waiting for you, it's right here!''

My father touched my chest with his finger, right where my heart was located. I immediately understood, another reason for me to return into the world of the living, I had someone who loved me.

I answered: ''I will always be there for her, I will never let her go, I promise!''

After these words, my father's silhouette started to slowly fade away until it had disappeared completely. Shortly after, I sat down on the ground in the Lotus Position, concentrated all my thoughts on my only goal, which was leaving this realm, and finally started the Mantra.

I called: ''Oh, come to me Spirits and listen to what I have to say! Judge me, so that I may or may not return into the world of the living!''

As soon as the last word had left my mouth, wind got up and strange blue lights appeared from out of nowhere and started shooting through the air. They circled around my body, the wind ruffled my hair. They were the judge forms of the Spirits, they had come to listen to me. I started reciting the Mantra with a loud and determined voice:

 _Hell has to wait!_

 _It is not yet time for me to go!_

 _Despite all my actions_

 _Hell has to wait!_

 _It is not yet time for me to go!_

 _Because after all that has happened_

 _I am still here!_

 _There is still so much to do for me!_

 _No matter what will happen_

 _I accept everything!_

 _Whatever happens_

 _I never give up!_

Immediately after the final verse, I saw and felt some of the blue lights approaching me and eventually entering my body! Shortly after, I heard eerie voices in my head:

''Master Assassin Yulizan! You have performed the Purification! By doing so, you have brought your soul here, into our realm! Now you have recited the Mantra of the Assassins to return into the world of the living! We have conferred and made a judgment! You may return into the world of the living! Your body and soul are hereby purified of all sins! Now go and fulfill the task we have given you! Protect the Avatar! Bring peace back to your world!''

Suddenly, I felt an unknown power flowing through my whole body. I looked at my hands, they were glowing bright blue!

''What's happening?'', was everything I could think about before my mind was pulled from its present state. What followed was such a confusing and blurred journey that I wasn't able to remember any exact details afterwards. The next feeling I could remember was my face that was laying on cold stone.

I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but burnt stone. I realized that I was laying on my stomach. I raised my head and turned it to the left and right. In the first, everything looked blurred, but then I recognized my room in the tower of the Assassin monastery. Suddenly I remembered everything, the events of the last few hours: The battle in Ba Sing Se, Aang's supposed death, my return to the monastery, the Purification! I felt my back with my right hand. While I felt the fresh scars that the flagellating had caused, I didn't feel any blood, the Spirits had been right, both my body and my soul had been literally purified. I pushed myself up from the ground with both hands, into a kneeling position. I then realized that I was still completely nude. I stood up quickly, which made me feel dizzy at first, I tottered over to my wardrobe, took out a new cloth shirt and new cloth pants und put on both. I then sat down on my mat in the Lotus Position and started realizing what exactly had happened. After almost a whole hour, I had extensively analyzed all the facts and circumstances: Aang was still alive, which meant that my mission was still extant. I was pretty sure that the plans we had worked out together in the team continued to exist, despite the tragic events that had happened in Ba Sing Se, which meant that the Invasion on the Day of the Black Sun would still happen. My next goals became clear to me: I would find my friends again and join them again. But first I would stay in the monastery to prepare myself for the coming events. I would further increase my abilities and improve my equipment, until I was finally ready to fight the battle of my life!

I took a look at the chest in which I had stowed my previous equipment. It would stay in there, I said in my mind, because for my new self I would need new equipment as well. Therefore, my first stop was the monastery's workshops. First, I entered the tailoring shop where the robes were made. I had a look at every available robe and eventually decided on a night black robe with blood red and black ornamentations. I entered the small dressing room and put on the robe. I immediately felt much stronger and more powerful. Next stop: The blacksmith. I needed new weapons! Since I was quite skilled at forging, I crafted my new weapons myself. New throwing knives with a heavier blade which caused larger wounds without affecting the flight behavior negatively. New daggers, this time with curved blades. I completely renounced a new crossbow since I hadn't used my old one that often anyway. My new bow was no longer consisted of wood, but of a light metal which was hollow inside. Thus, the bow itself was merely a framework which made it very light and yet very powerful. And finally, my personal masterpiece: My two new katanas! They consisted of a core of hot-dip galvanized steel, the blade consisted of silver-plated diamond! Thus the swords were not only virtually indestructible, they were perhaps also the sharpest weapons ever created! On the golden handle, along with the sigils of my family and the Order, there was a little golden phoenix, the symbol of my rebirth! As a last stop, I crafted a new bag made out of dragon leather which I had extracted from one of Pagan's scales. The only piece of my old weapons that I kept were my arm blades, they had once belonged to my father, I didn't want to leave them behind. Now I was fully armed again, ready for the upcoming battles. Now I had to toughen my body!

I put on a very intense training program to improve every part of my body even further. While I was training, Pagan set out to find our friends again. He could already report a success on his return on the first day: Our friends were at the Fire Nation coast and probably planned to continue their travels through the country. I was happy, we were relatively close together. During the next few days, I continued training both my body and also my combat forces. I wrapped my fists and ankles thick with leather bandages and then hit a small rock until it broke to toughen my punches and kicks. Pagan continued to bring me news of our friends, I learned of their disguise as Fire Nation residents, Aang's school attendance, the story of the Painted Lady and how Sokka apprenticed to Master Piandao. Piandao was also a member of the Assassins, so my friends were in good hands.

Some days later, Pagan brought home some very interesting news that had nothing to do with our friends though. He landed in the courtyard while I was in the middle of practicing my fire bending on some training dummies.

He said: ''I have news that will surely interest you.''

''Well, then tell me!''

''You know Ember Island?''

''The popular vacation spot? Of course! What about it?''

''Well, I overflew it today and saw Azula, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee, they seem to be staying there, on the island.''

At the mention of Ty Lee's name, I started to listen attentively.

Pagan smirked: ''I knew you would be interested.''

''Do you think we could...''

''...travel to Ember Island? But of course! Jump on!''

The dragon didn't have to tell me twice! Only seconds later I sat on his neck. But before we set out, I told him to fly over to the monastery's wall. There, I climbed down again, positioning myself on the wall. My eyes filled with determination, I shouted at the top of my lungs:

''Get ready Fire Lord! I'm back and I'm stronger than ever before!''

With these words, I bent a giant phoenix of flames which rose to the air, wings spread wide out. Pagan was once again amazed by my abilities. I climbed back onto the dragon and we set off for Ember Island.

We reached the island relatively fast, as it wasn't that far away from the monastery. Camouflaged, we flew over the different landscapes of the island, searching for the group. We finally spotted them on one of the many beaches. I gave Pagan a signal to let me off on a small hill near the beach so that I could observe the four friends. The dragon did as told, flew over the island close enough that I was able to jump off and land safely in the soft grass. I hid in some bushes near the edge of the hill, from there, I had a good view over the entire beach and even was able to hear what was spoken. The four friends seemed to have fun, but after some time, some guys approached Ty Lee and started harassing her. My blood immediately started boiling with anger, but I simply couldn't intervene, not with Azula and Zuko in immediate vicinity. But fortunately, my girl was able to defend herself, she simply used her chi blockade to paralyze the guys that had harassed her. I had to smile, even in battle, she kept her unmatched beauty. Unfortunately, this feeling of happiness didn't last long, because shortly after, Azula said to Ty Lee:

''Your own fault, just look at you! How you're walking around, dressed this slinky, of course every guy drools over you! But just so you know: They just want one thing, but I guess you don't care, right?''

My head turned red as a tomato, I simply couldn't believe how Azula had just insulted Ty Lee. My girl buried her face in her hands and ran away, up the hill that where I was hiding and past me. I made sure that none of the three others followed her, then I ran after her.

I found her sitting crying under a tree a few hundred meters further. I took off my hood, walked a little closer towards her and then said:

''Don't worry, she can't hurt you anymore.''

She looked up. When she saw me, her eyes became huge with surprise, her mouth turned into a big smile, she jumped to her feet and flung her arms around my neck. I had a serious effort not to be overwhelmed by her embrace, I said:

''Careful, or you will crush me!''

She let go of me and kissed me instead. Afterwards, she asked:

''What are you doing here? How did you know that I'm here?''

''I have my sources, and by that I mean Pagan. He saw you guys when he flew over the island. I had to come here, of course, I wanted to see you.''

She kissed me again, then she took my hand and said:

''Come along! I know a place where we won't be disturbed.''

I let Ty Lee pull me a little further through the landscape, then down a small slope and finally we were standing on a small, empty beach.

I was impressed: ''How did you find this?''

''Seek and you shall find, am I right?''

''Yes, of course. So, what now? Do you want to swim?''

''Sure!''

I took off my clothes, then we both stormed into the sea. We stayed in the water for several hours until the evening broke in. Ty Lee didn't really want to return to the others, but she was also sure that they probably wouldn't miss her either. We decided to spend the night together, here at the beach. Because of the vacated space of my now missing crossbow, I now carried a tent with me that I built up shortly afterwards, so that we wouldn't have it too cold at night.

When the sun had set and the stars slowly started to appear in the sky, we were already laying in the tent together.

Ty Lee sighed: ''This is so nice! I wish it could be like this forever!''

''Perhaps it can, once the war is over.''

''I would really like it, just you and me, forever.''

I turned and looked her in the eyes: ''Well, for now we should use the time we have, don't you agree?''

Instead of an answer, Ty Lee kissed me, I answered the kiss immediately. So began a passionate night on the beach, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.

However, this night would have consequences, as we would later realize...

 **Next chapter: By all means!**


	29. Reunited

The next morning, I woke up of the fact that Ty Lee, already awake and her head supported on her hand, was smiling and playing with my hair which had become somewhat longer during my stay in the monastery. I smiled back, raised my head and kissed her gently.

I said: ''You know what? I had the feeling that last night was something very special, even better than the previous ones we have spent together.''

''Yes, I had a similar feeling''

''Well then, let's get up.''

We both got up, left the tent, took a morning bath in the sea together and then laid down on the beach in front of the tent again, hand in hand, our eyes directed to the sky. After a short time, I stood up and said:

''As beautiful as it is here, I need to set off soon.''

''Where to?''

Although I loved Ty Lee above all else and had shared all my secrets with her until now, this time I had to lie her, I just could not tell her that Aang was still alive, Azula would find it out eventually and then our entire mission would be done for! That's why I said:

''I have a mission to do on the mainland. The Masters want me to retrieve an old relic from some cave and then bring it to the monastery so they can study its secrets. Since this is not very important, I decided to make a quick side-trip and meet with my love.''

Ty Lee stood up smiling, wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me.

Then she said: ''Then go, but watch out for yourself.''

''Sure, I always do. But wait, there's a little something I wanted to give you.''

I took two small, flat stones, about as big as a person's palm, out of my bag, both had a heart-shaped piece of red volcanic stone embedded into them. I handed Ty Lee one of the stones. She looked at it with a questioning look in her eyes, I explained:

''These stones symbolize the connection between us. When one of them is heated, the heart on the other one lights up, look.''

I heated my stone in my hand, the heart on Ty Lee's stone began to pulsate red. She looked at me with wide eyes, then hugged me and said:

''Thank you. But what is this good for, except that it always reminds us of each other?''

''Well, I thought that we could use this to contact each other. Whenever you want to see me again, all you have to do is heat your stone, then I will notice it on mine and come to you as fast as I can.''

''Oh! That sounds very convenient. I think this will help us a lot.''

''I think so too. But you definitely have to keep it in a safe place. Otherwise everybody could use it and lure me into a trap, for example.''

''Don't worry, I'll take care.''

''I know. I trust you. But now I really have to go.''

I whistled and Pagan came out from behind the near cliff coast shortly after. He landed on the beach, Ty Lee walked over to him as well and petted his head. I climbed onto the dragon's neck, looked down onto Ty Lee and said:

''Bye for now, I hope we can see each other again soon.''

Then Pagan rose to the air and we set off.

In the air, Pagan told me that he had been able to locate Aang and the others during the last night. They were near a large city on one of the many big Fire Nation islands, we wouldn't need long to reach them. A good two hours later, I was already able to spot the city in the distance, our friends' camp was situated a little bit away from the city, as usual. I told Pagan not to land directly in the camp, but to land a little further away. The dragon obeyed and silently landed a few hundred meters away from the camp. On foot, I also approached the camp silently, while I was still away a good distance, I already noticed that Katara and Toph were in a heated argument once again, nothing had changed, I was pleased, I honestly had missed the whole squabbling quite a bit. When I was only a few meters away from my friends, the argument was still in full swing, I said aloud:

''You two are never going to change, are you?''

Immediately, the heads of all four turned towards me, their eyes became huge, their mouths stood wide open. I spread my arms out and said:

''Surprise?''

After this, the state of shock finally ended, Toph ran towards me and threw her arms around me. Aang, Katara and Sokka approached me as well, Katara said:

''Yulizan! You're still alive? But we all thought that after the incident in Ba Sing Se, you...''

''To be honest: I was. But I returned, and now I'm better than ever before!''

Sokka smelled a rat: ''Wait a moment! Did you just say you'd been dead, but come back to life? That's impossible!''

Aang cleared his throat loudly, but Sokka just said: ''You're the Avatar, that's something different! He is an ordinary human, and they just can't...you know!''

I interjected: ''Never underestimate the powers of the Spirits, Sokka. I'm the living proof that it is possible if you only have the right faith.''

Sokka looked around confused, his eyes eventually falling on my new katanas. With big eyes full of interest, he grabbed one and pulled it out of its scabbard.

''Hello! Who is this beauty?''

''Pretty impressive, right? I forged them myself''

Sokka unsheathed his own sword, the blade was as black as the night. I let out an impressed whistle:

''Not bad, sir! May I ask it is made of?''

''You will hardly believe me, but it's the metal of a meteorite!''

''Oh my! An actual gift from heaven, really impressive. But is it also effective?''

''Huh? What do you mean?''

''Does it cut as well as it looks?''

''To be honest: I haven't really tried it out yet.''

''Then how about a little comparison? Let's see whose sword is sharper. Do you have anything lying around here that can be cut safely?''

Aang ran to the camp and returned with two melons in his hands.

''What about these?''

''Perfect! Could you please place them so that they lie at the right height for our arms?''

Aang bent two earth pillars out from the ground and placed the melons on them. Now everything was ready, Sokka wanted to begin. He positioned himself in front of the left melon, unsheathed his sword, took a swing and sliced through the melon with a powerful blow like it was butter. I was impressed, obviously he had not exaggerated, the meteorite sword was really a powerful weapon. Now I stepped in front of the right melon. I unsheathed one of my katanas, looked at my work once again, traced the golden phoenix on the hilt with my fingers, then I grabbed said hilt firmly with both hands, took a swing and let the katana whirr through the melon. The cut was virtually perfect, so good that the two halves of the melon kept lying on one another instead of slipping to the side like Sokka's melon did. I wiped the melon juice of my katana's blade and said:

''The sharpness is equal, I would say, but I still have the better technique.''

Sokka agreed, a slightly sour expression on his face.

After this little performance, we all sat down in the camp together and started talking about many things. I told of my experiences in the Spirit World, my training in the monastery, but once again nothing about the time I had spent together with Ty Lee. While the others knew about my relationship with the girl by now, they still only thought of it as some sort of little fling that had happened in Ba Sing Se. I would tell them only later, if ever, that it really was true love. In return, I once again heard of the events that Pagan had already told me of during my time in the monastery, only this time in greater detail, basically straight from the horse's mouth. After all the stories were finished, I took the word and said with a solemn voice:

''At this point, I would like to say that I'm really glad that we're still together and doing well, even after this flood of bad events. Let's hope that we can finally achieve some lasting successes from now on!''

The others agreed with me, but the festive mood didn't last long, because only shortly after, Katara and Toph resumed their argument from before, this time it escalated and eventually caused Toph to walk away in anger once again. I decided to completely stay out of things that didn't concern me from now on, so instead of trying to mediate between the two girls, I talked with Aang about various things, the Spirit World for example, we compared our experiences and realized that we perceived the Spirit World very differently. I could justify this because my soul had to be quite darkened because of all actions, therefore I didn't always see the ghostly blue glimmer around every creature and object, only on special occasions, like when I had met the souls of my family. We were still talking when Sokka suddenly came back to the camp as if stung by an adder, a messenger hawk on his shoulder, he had gone into the city to buy one of these, and a rolled up piece of paper in his hand.

''You have to look at this!'', he said panting and unrolled the paper.

My face turned serious immediately: It was a wanted poster with a picture of Toph! Underneath the picture was written in big letters: ''The Runaway - High Reward'' plus some additional information. I was slightly unsettled about how much the Beifong family was doing to bring Toph back. When Toph returned to the camp a little bit later, Sokka and I explained the new circumstances to her. Toph however remained completely calm and said that the only thing we had to take into account was that Katara wouldn't find the poster. I was skeptical about what the girl was up to.

But of course everything played out different than planned, but in such different ways that even I was surprised: Katara eventually found the poster and was upset about it, but after she had calmed down again, she talked with Toph for quite some time. After their conversation was over, both looked as if they had been replaced, they said that they had talked about their problems and had put an end to their dispute. I was both glad but also confused about this sudden change of mind. But of course the two of them hadn't only talked about their problems, but also worked out a shrewd plan: Toph should be handed over to the city guards in pretence so that we could collect the bounty, only to free her again afterwards of course. I was surprised by Katara's sudden smartness, it was a really well thought-out plan, I would definitely help my friends with this. After all: There was nothing like a nice old-fashioned fraud.

The next day, we executed our plan. At first, everything seemed to be going as planned, but the whole thing eventually turned out to be a trap! First, Katara and Toph were locked in a large wooden box, then a mysterious man appeared. I had never seen someone like him the flesh before, but I had read about people like him: The giant had an eye-shaped tattoo on his forehead, a concentration bender!

Sokka called: ''Oh man! Not him again!''

I called back: ''What do you mean 'again'?''

''This guy already attacked us a couple of nights ago. Watch out, he shoots energy beams from...''

Sokka wasn't able to finish his sentence, because suddenly a beam of concentrated fire was fired at us, the source was the tattoo on the giant's forehead, as I had guessed. Luckily I knew exactly what to do to neutralize this type of bender. I said to Aang and Sokka:

''Distract him! I have to get close to him!''

My two friends immediately initiated an attack, the giant actually took the bait, he seemed to focus entirely on Aang. I was easily able to sneak up on him from behind and jumped onto his shoulders. Only then did he seem to realize what was going on, but it was already too late! I extended my right arm blade and cut a little wound into his tattoo. He probably didn't feel any pain, but that wasn't my intention. I jumped off his shoulders again and ran back to my friends, who were about to initiate another attack. Katara and Toph had been able to free themselves in the meantime and wanted to attack as well, but I held all four of them back and said:

''Wait and take a look at this!''

My friends seemed visibly nervous but still did what I said. The giant grinned at us diabolically when he prepared another energy beam of concentrated fire. My friends tried to take cover behind me, but they didn't need any. Because when the giant was ready to fire his beam, his now slightly bleeding tattoo flashed red for a second before he himself was catapulted backwards with enormous force, directly into a large brick wall which then collapsed on top of him. The power of the impact made him unconscious before he was buried by a large amount of bricks from the collapsed wall. My friends looked at me with wide eyes and asked with one voice:

''What was that?''

''Don't worry, I will tell you, but first we have to get out of here before he wakes up again!''

No sooner said than done! Only a few minutes later, we had reached the camp again, packed our things in no time at all and rose to the air on our animals.

In the air, I started explaining:

''I damaged his tattoo by cutting a little wound into it, thus he was no longer able to use his powers.''

''And how did you know that you had to do that?''

''Oh, there have always been such kinds of benders, the Assassins of course kept records of them and their powers. This is just another page in my great book of knowledge.''

Once again, my friends showed me their respect for my outstanding abilities, I was really glad that I was always able to help them. Later in the evening, Toph, with Katara's help, wrote a letter to her parents which she then sent away using Sokka's new messenger hawk. I was glad that the girl was at least trying to keep her parents up to date on her condition. Thus, as we had done many times before, we simply flew across the country without a real goal. Although, without a real goal wasn't really true: In a few weeks was the Day of the Black Sun, we of course couldn't forget the Invasion we had planned for that day. But until then, we just flew, and flew, and flew...

 **Next chapter: Morally correct?**


	30. Bloody Puppet Game

After we had flown for what felt like an eternity, we finally landed in a forest in the evening of one of the next days to set up camp for the night. I once again felt this feeling of boredom that I had already experienced many times in the past when we had been travelling without a real goal, but I decided to ignore it completely from now on. After all, it led to nothing. After everything in the camp was set up and after I, like always, had ignited the campfire, we all sat down around the fire together. Toph proposed that we should tell each other some horror stories, this probably came to her mind because it had already become completely dark in the meantime. Even though I wasn't exactly fond of this proposition, I, like the others, still agreed. While the others now took turns in telling all kinds of stories, I once again noticed that my vocation as an Assassin had really hardened me up against almost any kind of fear. While the other four in our circle winced now and then when they heard some of the scarier stories, I simply sat where I was all the time and listened. Then it was finally my turn.

I only knew one really scary story, but I was sure it would be good enough to scare my friends quite good. I knew the story from my grandfather, he had told it to me in my childhood, and he had been so credible in his way of narration that in the nights after that, I had always crouched anxiously into a corner of my room to try and hide myself. As I grew older, I slowly started losing my fear, because I slowly started realizing that the story was simply to crazy to be true. Yet I still used it to scare my siblings from time to time, especially after they had been getting on my nerves again. So I began to tell:

''A long time ago, a young man lived in the northern Fire Nation. At first sight, he appeared completely normal. He was friendly, courteous and well liked by his fellows. But this was only the case in the daytime. Because what nobody knew: When the night broke in, the young man changed. Every night, just before midnight, he awoke and found himself physically changed. His skin had become black, with white and red marks. His eyes were blood red, his teeth long and sharp like a saber cat's, his fingernails were claws. He climbed out of his bed and slowly crawled towards the door on all four.''

I saw the suspense and the fear in the eyes of my friends, when I continued:

''He opened the door and stared out into the night. Then he stood up and uttered a bloodcurdling screech.''

I uttered a light grumbling and groaning noise, as quiet as possible, I of course didn't want to attract any attention from nothing and no one.

''He then began to move through the city, looking to suck the blood out of the bodies of the innocent, to tear out their hearts and eat them, and sometimes he abducted them into a cave outside of town, where he slashed open their bodies using his long sharp claws before hanging them up on their intestines so they would bleed to death agonizingly. Soon after the first murders and abductions, the people had already found a name for the nocturnal monster: They called it ''Xuemo'', the ''Blood Demon''! It is said that today he is still roaming the Fire Nation, on the hunt for fresh victims he can feast on.''

With this, my story was finished, and I looked around myself: Aang and Katara were closely entwined out of fear, Sokka laid huddled behind a log, only Toph had seemingly stayed completely calm almost the entire time. She asked me:

''How did you say the monster's screech sounded again?''

I repeated the screech and then asked:

''Why did you want to hear it again?''

''Because I've been hearing a similar noise all the time for a couple of minutes now, it seems to be coming from underneath that hill over there.''

I strained my ears as good as I could, but I didn't hear anything. Toph really had some very good ears, but she of course needed those to even out her non-existent seeing ability.

Then, all of a sudden, I felt an unknown presence close by, I said quietly:

''Look out, guys! There's something or someone close to us!''

We all got into position and formed a circle, back to back! Then, a few seconds later, something rustled in the nearby bushes, we were ready to attack, but when the presumed attacker emerged from the bushes, it turned out be just an old woman.

She said: ''Don't panic, I mean you no harm!''

Kind of relieved, we gave up our position again and listened to what the old woman had to say. Her name was Hama, she had found our camp by chance. She owned a small inn in a village not far from our campsite and offered us to spend the night there. We of course accepted with thanks, a building was always a better option than to simply lie outdoors in the open. We followed the old woman into the village and then to her inn, where we immediately felt comfortable, as everything was furnished nicely and really felt safe compared to the clearing where our campsite had been located. She told us that in this region it was especially dangerous to spend the nights outdoors, as many people had vanished under mysterious circumstances in recent times. I was pretty sure that there had to be a logical explanation for these vanishings, but I still kept my grandfather's story in the back of my mind, as the saying goes: there's a grain of truth in every story.

The next morning, we all went into the village to buy things for the further journey. Katara and the old Hama seemingly got along swimmingly, as they always walked a little ahead of us and talked with each other permanently. In the meantime, Aang and Sokka questioned all the other villagers about the vanished people. Toph and I stayed out of this whole thing, Toph because she wasn't really interested, I because I, like I said earlier, wanted to stay out of matters that didn't concern me personally from now on. Nevertheless, I still tried to figure out what could have caused the vanishings of the villagers in my head. There was this one thought that always fought its way to the front: Had my grandfather been more right than it had always seemed? Did the Blood Demon really exist after all? I was still unsure about this whole matter. We returned to the inn a little later, Sokka decided to look around a little closer in the house, as he still had some strange doubts regarding the old Hama. After only a couple of minutes, he returned, holding two objects, a wooden doll and something I couldn't quite identify. Sokka put both items down on the table, I asked him:

''Where did you find these things?''

''The doll was in a cabinet in the hallway, and this thing was in a little chest in the attic.''

I took the unknown utensil in hand and asked:

''And do you happen to know what exactly this is?''

''I actually do, and that's what makes it quite suspicious. It's a whale tooth comb, a renowned tool only known at the Southern Water Tribe. I really wonder how she got her hands on this.''

''I can tell you, my boy.''

All our heads turned towards the door where Hama had appeared. She walked over to the table, took the comb in hand and said with a sigh:

''Now I can't deny it any longer, so I should put my cards open on the table: I originally hail from the Southern Water Tribe, and I also know that the two of you do as well.''

She looked towards Katara and Sokka during her last sentence.

''Well, that changes quite a lot of things.'', I thought to myself.

And, as almost always, I should be right with my thoughts.

In the next few hours, Hama told us the story of her life. How she had been captured by the Fire Nation, along with the rest of the old generation of water benders from the Southern Water Tribe, and how she eventually ended up being the only surviving fugitive. Katara was touched deeply by the story. When Hama, after she had finished her story, offered to exchange some water bending knowledge with her, Katara was immediately on fire, if I'm allowed to use this expression, being a fire bender and all. The next morning, the two of them set out to train, while Aang, Sokka and Toph had plans themselves: They wanted to explore the area surrounding the village, continuing their search for the missing people, they now had the suspicion that evil spirits could possibly be the cause for all these vanishings. I was pretty sure that this wasn't the case, that's why I passed and instead decided to wander through the forest for some time, to grant my soul and thoughts some freedom. In addition, I also wanted to polish my fighting techniques a little more, the many trees would be good targets. So I left the inn together with the others and followed them when they entered the forest, but shortly after our ways parted, I chopped my way through the undergrowth, until I finally found a tiny clearing, just big enough for me to wield my weapons without problems. I grabbed both my katanas and began to practice a new sequence of movements of which I had read during my stay in the monastery. It specialized the style of back-and-forth-swings, during which the sword in the strong hand, the right one in my case, was held with the blade in front, the sword in the weaker hand, the left one, was held ninja-style, with the blade going up backwards along the arm. The goal was that after every slash with the sword in front, the rear one should follow immediately, fast enough so that the opponent wouldn't even have a chance to react. I tried it immediately, positioned myself and selected a big old tree as the target. I took a deep breath, concentrated myself, shot forward, hit the tree with the right sword and let the left one follow immediately. When the dust, which I had whirled up because of my fast movements, had died down, I took a look at the tree trunk. The two cuts were both exactly straight, but still a few inches apart.

''This means I can still do better.'', I said to myself and repeated the practice. The rest of the day, I was working on the goal of putting the two cuts in exactly the same spot, then I would have mastered the technique.

Hours later, it was already evening, I was already visibly weakened, but still had not reached the goal I had set myself. My arms slowly started getting limp, but I pulled myself together!

''One last try!'', I encouraged myself internally. I positioned myself, caught my breath, shot forward, the right sword cut the bark, the left one followed immediately, and this time I succeeded! There was only one single cut visible on the tree trunk, I had placed both swings perfectly the same! As a result of my success, I sank to the ground satisfied and rested for a moment, the practice had demanded almost all of my physical power. But I wasn't able to calm down completely, because only a few minutes later, I heard loud shouting coming from a distance, I immediately recognized the voices of my friends.

''Oh no! What happened?'', I thought to myself, while I jumped to my feet and starting rushing in the direction where the voices had come from. Only a few minutes later I saw the scene in front of me. I hid behind a tree so they wouldn't see me. On a big clearing, Aang, Sokka, Toph and Katara were standing face-to-face with Hama, but she wasn't that friendly old woman she had been two days ago anymore. Who, or better said what, was standing there on the clearing was a power-mad, insane and unscrupulous hag, who didn't know the virtues of mercy and prudence anymore. She cackled spitefully when my friends readied themselves up for a fight. A few seconds later, Aang and Sokka charged forward and attacked, but mid-run, they suddenly stopped as if struck by lightning, turned around and charged right at Katara!

''What is going on here?'', I asked myself, before my eyes turned back to Hama, who had her hands up in the air and performed strange movements with them.

''She's bending, but what?''

I really couldn't get my head around what exactly was happening here, but one thing was for sure: I had to help my friends, this uncontrollable witch had to be stopped! I stepped out from my hiding place, a feeling of determination filling my body, and called:

''Hama!''

The old woman turned around immediately and spotted me. I summoned two flames in my hands, this caused a glimpse of fear to appear on her face for a second.

I said: ''This party is over!'', but she cackled again, before talking with a voice filled with madness: ''I don't think so!'', then she raised her hands once again.

What happened to me next was completely unexplainable: My limbs didn't obey my commands anymore, I wasn't able to control my arms and legs any longer! The flames in my hands died out and, without me being able to do something against, I started walking towards Katara as well. While I was walking there as if by an invisible hand, I suddenly noticed it: My blood was coursing through my body way faster than usual, something was influencing it! The only possibility of who or what could been doing this that came to my mind was Hama, but how was she doing it? Suddenly, Katara raised her hands as well, and all of a sudden the pressure that had been on my body dropped again, I was able to move by myself again. While Hama was still distracted by Katara's actions, I took cover behind another tree again. Whatever she had done, it had manipulated my blood. And how did one stop influence on one's blood? Self-poisoning. Because toxicity changed the blood's condition. Originally intended to stop internal bleeding, I hoped it would help me in this situation as well. As fast as I could, I fished out a small phial filled with a poison green liquid from my bag and took a tiny sip. One was not allowed to drink too much of it, otherwise you really would get poisoned on a health-damaging level! I immediately felt a light stinging in my body, the poison worked. I once again stepped out from behind the tree, ready for battle!

As soon as I appeared from my hiding place, Hama had already spotted me again. She let out another cackling laugh, then she raised her hands. But this time, I remained in control of my body, no matter what she did, I was still able to move freely. However, I decided that I would continue to play along, therefore I pretended that I was under her control again. But this time, I was very close her, only about a meter away from her, I dropped to the ground and started to squirm with pain, to lull her into a false sense of security. She fell for the trick and turned her back towards me, now facing my friends again. This mistake proved to be fatal for her, because as soon as she wasn't able to see me anymore, I broke out from my feigned state of paralysis, grabbed one of my daggers and stabbed her in her right calf with full power! She uttered a loud scream of pain, before dropping to her knee thunderstruck, not able to move her right leg anymore. I stood up and walked around her, so that I stood right in front of her eventually. She looked up into my face, her eyes filled with shock and fear, but I showed no mercy! I grabbed the old witch's head and twisted it to the side with such force that her face turned to the back of her head! With a loud and disgusting cracking sound, the renegade water bender crumpled to the forest ground!

I turned to my friends and immediately saw their faces that were filled with shock and all asked one and the same question: Why? Eventually, this question was also asked with words, when Katara said with a trembling voice:

''Did you really have to do that?''

I answered slightly vigorous: ''Yes, I had to! She attacked us, we all were in danger! And a scenario like this, one does not take prisoners!''

When the shock in my friends' faces still didn't wear off, I added:

''Guys, I have told you once already: You don't have to endorse what I'm doing, it's my free decision to do these things, you don't have to like it by no means, but you still have to accept it if you want us to stay together as a team.''

Finally, the shock started to slowly fade away and all four of them nodded, even though they still seemed a little out of it, but I understood that. They simply weren't used to see that much brutality being used in so many situations, but, like I said, they still had to accept my decision of committing these actions, I had chosen this path myself and would continue to follow it!

When we made our way towards Appa and Pagan to continue our journey, I asked Katara:

''What exactly happened back there? Why weren't we able to move anymore?''

''Hama invented a water bending technique that lets one bend the little amounts of water inside a person's blood, this lets you control said person like a puppet.''

''Oh man! That sounds sinister! And you can do that too now?''

''Don't talk about it, ever!'', Katara shouted at me angrily. ''I'm ashamed of myself for having learned such an inhuman form of water bending. If only I could forget it again!''

She seemed fairly upset, so I left her alone. Internally, I reflected on the events had happened only a few minutes ago: I had committed the first assassination in my new life, after my rebirth, and it felt way better than it had always felt in the past. There was no heavy pressure on my chest anymore after I had made the final blow, I felt way more free and safe in general. And that was a good thing! Because for the events that would happen over the course of the next time, focus and determination combined with absolute physical fitness was the key to success!

 **Next chapter: Mental experiments**


	31. Build-Up Training

The days and weeks went by, the Day of the Black Sun was approaching with big steps. I honestly found it quite suspicious that we were able to travel for weeks without any major problems. After all, it was true: We hadn't been in any kind of fight since the incident with Hama. Not that I was complaining, but it still was a little odd, considering all the things that had happened to us so far on our journey.

Four days before the big day of the eclipse, we finally arrived at the Black Cliffs. Here we would meet up with the rest of the invasion fleet, to fight what perhaps would be the most important battle in history! I was very confident, yet still a little concerned regarding the eclipse itself. I knew that during the short phase in which the sun would become veiled by the moon, I would be limited in my physical abilities as well as in my fire bending, which wouldn't work during said time, just like with every other fire bender. Therefore, I had to rely on my pure fighting abilities. But I still was unsure whether these would be weakened as well, due to my limited body strength. I just hoped for the best, either way I would surely be of great support during the battle. While I definitely was confident, others were not. Aang had been very nervous the whole time since our landing, which I didn't blame him for, after all: He had to face the Fire Lord during the battle. I had to admit: I kind of envied him for this. I still wanted to face the Fire Lord myself, look into his face, confront him with the murders of my family and then cut his throat, just like I had prophesized all those years ago! But my hope for this had slowly started to fade by now, however, I of course still accepted the circumstances, after all: The Avatar's destiny was more important than every kind of vengeance could ever be.

Aang's nervousness went sky high in the course of time. He trained for most of the time and therefore almost never got around to sleep, and this became more than noticeable! He frequently dozed off, only to jump awake from a nightmare some minutes later. With the slowly dwindling last remains of his mind he repeatedly uttered that the Fire Lord apparently was making fun of him in his dreams. The gravity of the situation reached its provisional peak when Aang suddenly started to prowl around in our camp like one possessed. Katara, Sokka, Toph and I exchanged views, we all thought the same: We had to get this boy a nice snatch of sleep, otherwise we could forget about the whole invasion! So we decided that everyone of us would try different methods to help Aang relax and then let him sleep peacefully.

Katara was first, she tried yoga in a hot spring she had bent herself, but this lead to nothing, as Aang perceived the heat the same way as fire bending. Sokka tried to get Aang to talk to him about his problems, but this didn't help either, as Sokka was acting way to extreme and therefore unsettled Aang even more than he already was. Toph's method was more than unconventional, she gave Aang a special earth bending massage, which however only resulted in him becoming even more awake than he already was. Now it was my turn, I already had made all the necessary arrangements. I had brewed a tea from various herbs, it was able to relax specific regions of the brain and therefore able to loosen the whole body, both mentally and physically. However, there was quite the big downside: The tea had a rather bitter smell and taste, which I unfortunately couldn't change as further additions would destroy the effect. I tried to hand Aang the bowl over and over again, while saying:

''Come on! Do you want to feel better or not? Pull yourself together and drink this!''

But Aang refused unwaveringly to even take a sip of the tea. After a few more minutes, Toph had enough! She bent multiple earth walls from the ground and fixated Aang where he stood, leaving only his face free and open. She took the bowl from my hand and walked towards Aang.

I called: ''No, Toph, that won't...'', but it was already too late.

The girl placed the bowl on the defenseless Avatar's lips and poured the tea into his throat. Aang choked and coughed loud and long, when he seemed to have calmed down again, Toph freed him and asked:

''And? Do you feel relaxed?''

Aang didn't answer, but instead ran straight into the next bush, we heard that he was throwing up! I looked at Toph and said to her:

''It didn't work, for a very specific reason: Whoever drinks the tea to be treated with it, has to want it, he or she has to prepare mentally for the muscles and the mind to relax properly. If you just pour the tea down someone's throat like that, the body rejects the active ingredient and the tea turns into a simple bitter-tasting decoction.''

''Oh!'', was everything Toph said before she turned around and walked away ashamed. But I couldn't be angry with her, as she had not known about this.

Aang returned shortly after and explained:

''I simply won't sleep until the invasion begins. No sleep, no nightmares, it's as simple as that!''

If that was really such a good idea...I was skeptical, but remained silent, I didn't want to say anything against Aang's own decision. However, my skepticism turned out to be justified the following day, as Aang now had daydreams and hallucinations as opposed to the nightmares, it made him even more crazy. It definitely couldn't continue this way, with all due respect! I talked to the others what else we could possibly do. After another ten minutes of discussing, we had come up with nothing better than simply talking insistently to Aang again to try and get him to calm down. While we walked towards the young Avatar, a thought or better said a method came to my mind, a method how I at least would be able to get Aang to sleep, should he still insist on staying awake. We talked to Aang again, with both encouragement and friendship in our voices.

I said to him: ''It's your destiny, you have been born for this task, the Spirits have chosen you, and with their help you can do everything! All you have to do is believe in both yourself and your task, then you won't have any problems!''

Alright, maybe ''without problems'' was a little exaggerated, but it still achieved the desired effect. Aang immediately became much more relaxed. Katara put her hand on his shoulder and said with a reassuring voice:

''Now lay down and sleep, regain your strength, you're going to need it.''

But Aang replied: ''I'm calm, but unfortunately not tired at all, how am I supposed to sleep now?''

''No problem!'', I said.

I had wrapped some of my cloth ribbons around my arm and elbow and had snuck up behind Aang in the meantime. Now, after he had said that he wasn't tired, I reach back with my elbow and hit Aang at a specific spot on the neck, he immediately dropped to the ground, already fast asleep.

''Sweet dreams.'', I said while looking down on Aang, who was now sleeping peacefully at last. When I raised my head again, I saw the astonishment in my friends' faces.

I immediately explained: ''Assassin Elbow Strike, directly hitting the spot of the consciousness-chakra flow in the neck. Causes everybody to fall asleep immediately, completely without any pain.''

Katara and Sokka said nothing, Toph only uttered a single word: ''Wow!''

Oh yes, we Assassins had more than a couple of tricks up our sleeves. Now that Aang was getting some rest, I was calm and confident that the invasion would go well. But there was still one other thing that would happen to me, and it would affect the whole situation quite strong.

When we all had laid down to sleep that night, I suddenly felt a strange vibration in my bag. I stood up silently, not to wake the others, and reached into my bag. I immediately felt the light warmth and therefore already had quite the hunch what was causing the vibration. I fished it out from the bag and saw what I had expected: The red heart on the flat stone pulsated in an steady rhythm. I clenched my fist around the stone and looked into the distance.

''She wants to see me. Why not? Some motivation prior to such a big battle never hurts!'', I thought to myself.

But what would my friends say when I disappeared in the middle of the night? I decided to quickly write them a short message. I took a small scroll and a small piece of charcoal out from my bag. I hastily wrote a message that the message of an important Assassin mission had reached me in the night, that I had to leave for some time, but would be back exactly on time for the invasion. I placed the scroll well visible for everybody in the middle of our camp, then snuck away a few hundred meters, before I let out a light whistle to call Pagan, who silently landed next to me a few moments later. He rolled his eyes, but I made gestures that I would explain it to him later. I climbed the dragon and we rose to the sky. When we were up high enough in the air, Pagan asked:

''What is going on? Where are we going in the middle of the nigh?''

''To Ba Sing Se! Ty Lee has contacted me, she wants to see me.''

''Do the others know?''

''I left them a message, yes, but now fly, there are only two days left until the invasion and it's a long way to Ba Sing Se, so try to be as fast as possible!''

Pagan settled for my short explanation and eventually started rushing towards the Earth Kingdom with maximum speed.

We fortunately already reached Ba Sing Se at dawn, the sun was rising, therefore we were able to notice the changes that had happened in the city after the Fire Nation's conquest. The whole city looked dark, to say it simple, as if covered by a corrupt shadow, it really wasn't a nice sight, especially not if one had seen the city in its full glory, like I had. But this wasn't the reason why I was here, I knew that Ty Lee was somewhere down there, I told Pagan to fly over the city as close to the ground as possible, camouflaged of course. Near my hideout in the former Upper Ring I readied up, told Pagan that he should stay close to the city, and jumped off!

I landed unseen in a small alley which I left immediately to head towards my hideout, which I hoped had been spared from the takeover. Luck was on my side that day, because the empty looking house was still standing at its place and looked completely unaffected.

''This means that we have kept our influence in the city, very good.'', I thought while I took the stone out of my bag. I placed it in my palm and heated it up for a short moment so that it would pulsate again. I then followed the streets in the direction in which the pulsation grew stronger. Should it become weaker, I would that I was walking in the wrong direction. Then, after a couple of streets, the pulsation suddenly developed a very high frequency, I looked down the streets and there I spotted her! She was standing only a few hundred meters away from me, holding her own stone in her hand. She spotted me as well and ran towards me, before embracing me with a strong hug. I put her down on the ground again and kissed her. Then I asked:

''I felt the pulsation on my stone. You wanted to see me?''

''Yes, I did. Can we go to your house and talk there?''

''Of course.''

Hand in hand we walked back through the streets I had come from, until we stood in front of the hideout again. I unlocked the door and we entered the house. I ignited the light sources, then Ty Lee and I entered the big main room.

''So, about what exactly did you want to talk with me?''

''About very big and exciting news! Something wonderful has happened!''

My tension reached its maximum levels when I saw Ty Lee smiling. Then, she said with a quiet but delighted voice:

''Yulizan, I'm pregnant!''

I was taken by complete surprise! Did I just hear that correctly? Ty Lee was pregnant? She was expecting a child? And I was the father? My emotions all went completely crazy at the same time, but in the end, joy, nothing but pure joy outweighed them all! I smiled, tears welled up in my eyes, I flung my arms around Ty Lee's neck!

''This is...wonderful!'', was everything I was able to say at the first moment.

''This is the most beautiful news you ever could have given me, I'm so happy!''

I loosened my embrace and kissed Ty Lee passionately. Afterwards I asked:

''It probably was that night at the beach, am I right?''

''Most likely, yes.''

''Then it seems like I really had a reason to say that this night felt very special.''

''Seems like you had.''

''So, since when do you know?''

''Well, about one week after the night at the beach I started feeling sick in the morning and even had to throw up a couple of times, that's when I started to realize. When I didn't get my bleeding last week, I had complete certainty.''

''If you know it for this long already, why did you wait so long to tell me?''

Ty Lee turned her head to the side and looked to the ground:

''I was afraid that you might react completely different, that you don't want...''

I didn't want to hear another word, I kissed Ty Lee to silence her. Then I said:

''Ty Lee, don't you ever waste any thoughts on something like this! I will tell right here and now: I love you more than anything, I actually had planned to start a family with you eventually. Even if it's already happening now, it doesn't matter! Do you understand? Since the death of my family, I have missed this feeling, of being loved, the security, everything! And now I'm finally getting all this back: I have you, my girlfriend, who I love so much, and soon this little bundle of joy as well.''

I knelt down, Ty Lee understood and lifted her shirt, revealing her belly. Even though I knew that it was way too early, I first placed the side of my head on her belly and then kissed it gently. Ty Lee smiled while tears of joy started welling up in her eyes, she said quietly:

''You will be a wonderful father!''

''And you will be the best mother in the world!''

We both laughed and then went on to spent the rest of the day in peaceful togetherness.

On the next day, I already had to say goodbye again, with a heavy heart, to my now two most beloved people, tomorrow was the day, the invasion, and I wanted to be back at the cliffs in time. While I was getting ready to leave, I said to Ty Lee:

''I will be back as soon as I can. Take good care of yourself, of both of you.''

''Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be alright.''

We kissed once again, but then it was time. I whistled for Pagan and sat on the dragon's neck a few moments later. I waved Ty Lee goodbye until she disappeared from my field of view. In the air, I thought about everything that had happened yesterday: Ty Lee was pregnant, I was going to be a father! I felt so much joy and pride, it gave me so much strength! From this moment on, I knew that the battle on the Day of the Black Sun would be my battle! If I had to, I would take on the whole Fire Nation army on my own! We would win and finally return peace to the world! My mission would finally find its successful ending tomorrow!

But as so often, destiny would also foil us this time...

 **Next chapter: Day of the Black Sun (Part 1)**


	32. Battle Preparations (Black Sun, Part 1)

While we traversed the airspace above the Earth Kingdom, my thoughts had a fight with themselves about what I should think about more now: Ty Lee and our child or the battle of the eclipse. On the one hand, it was of course a wonderful thought when I imagined how nice it would to hold my child in my arms, on the other hand I still had to think about my mission, I simply couldn't let my emotions hinder me once again, otherwise I would fail again and this time for real! Therefore, soon afterwards, my thoughts started to completely focus on the battle, I had to concentrate if I wanted to succeed in a battle without my fire bending against such a great army.

On our departure from Ba Sing Se, something had come to my mind that I still wanted to do before we returned to our friends. I had told Pagan to fly to monastery first before returning to the Black Cliffs, I was planning to pick up something quite special. When we reached the monastery a few hours later, I instructed Pagan to wait in the courtyard, since it wouldn't take me long. I walked towards the tower, in which my room was located, determined, and eventually entered said room. I walked up to the wardrobe, in which I had always kept my weapons and other equipment, and opened it. It looked unchanged, but I wasn't interested in the actual contents anyway. I moved my fingers along the outer edge of the frame until I found what I was looking for: A small hidden button. I pressed it and as if by an invisible hand, the wardrobe's back panel slid to the side. I nodded pleased when I saw what I've been looking for in front of me. I took a burlap bag and packed up everything I needed. Afterwards, I tied the bag on my back and left the tower again. Pagan of course immediately noticed the bag and asked:

''What is in there?''

''You will see soon.'', I said mysteriously.

Even though Pagan still had quite the curious look in his eyes, he eventually decided not to inquire any further. I climbed back onto the dragon's neck and we continued our way back to the Black Cliffs.

We reached the place where the fleet would meet in the afternoon. Therefore, I had been able to stick to my schedule of being back before the beginning of the invasion, thus I still had the rest of today plus some hours tomorrow morning to prepare myself for the battle. When Pagan landed and I jumped off, our friends came walking towards us immediately.

Katara said: ''Yulizan, you're back!''

''Yes, I am, have you read my message?''

Katara and Aang nodded, Aang asked: ''What kind of mission was it, that it was this urgent?''

''Sorry, but I can't tell you, order secret, very complicated, very dangerous, you know.''

I tried to make a very calm impression the whole time, I of course wanted to avoid that the others would find out that I was lying. I eventually succeeded, also because the others were convinced quite quickly.

Aang said: ''No matter what it was, you're back in time, that's all that counts.''

''Exactly, and I have to say: You look well-rested for tomorrow, Aang.''

''Thank you, I have been able to sleep very well thanks to your words.''

''It wasn't just the words...'', I thought to myself and had to chuckle inwardly.

Afterwards I said: ''Well, all we have to do now is to wait for the rest of the troops to arrive, and then we head into battle tomorrow!''

''You seem pretty confident.''

''Of course! This is our chance to end this pointless war and restore peace! I could finally complete my mission and then...''

I stopped myself immediately, I had almost prattled away!

''Then what?'', Sokka asked with an interrogative look in his eyes.

''Oh, nothing, everything's fine. Let me tell you something: We should relax for the rest of the day, so that we can make use of all of our power tomorrow.''

''Yulizan is right, we all need give our absolute best tomorrow if we want this invasion to be a success.'', Aang confirmed what I had just said.

I was glad that the young Avatar finally seemed ready, willing and able to approach his task with the necessary seriousness.

To help the relaxation, I now got the first souvenir from the monastery out from the burlap bag. It was my little mandolin, I had learned to play the instrument a few years ago during the little free time I had during my training, and now I finally an opportunity to play it again. I sat down on the cliff coast, the instrument in my hand, looked out into the distance, at the sea, which slowly started turning orange because of the setting sun, and started playing and singing a well-known Assassin song:

 _Oh brother, let us go,_

 _it is that time again!_

 _I will accompany you,_

 _through light and darkness!_

 _Brother, let us fight,_

 _for a new time!_

 _For freedom, honor and peace!_

 _Let us stand, side by side!_

 _Wherever the path leads,_

 _whatever might happen!_

 _Even if our blood freezes,_

 _in our hearts we are strong!_

 _We are wandering through the world,_

 _the embers are blazing!_

 _We remain true to ourselves,_

 _Until the last breath!_

I completely devoted myself to the music, closed my eyes and therefore didn't even notice when Katara sat down next to me. When I had finished the song and opened up my eyes again, I was surprised to see her. She smiled, but at the same time seemed quite touched and surprised herself.

She said quietly: ''I didn't know that you are musical. Your singing is really good. What was that song?''

''A song every Assassin should have in his mind before every great and important battle. It strengthens the community spirit of the combatants and also shall remind one to never give up, then every battle, no matter how hard it might be, can be won.''

''Then let's hope that it will help us tomorrow.''

''Are you nervous?''

She looked out at the sea with a dreamy look in her eyes, then she said:

''Of course, but to be honest, I'm more afraid for Aang. What if he's not ready to face the Fire Lord yet?''

I took Katara's hand and said:

''Katara, you have given me a good advice or encouraged me to never give up many times during our journey, now let me encourage you: Aang will succeed, it's his destiny. And if this doesn't reassure you enough: I promise that I will continue to protect him with my own life tomorrow. I don't want to witness another defeat like in Ba Sing Se any more as you others do. Tomorrow will be the day this war ends! We'll finally have peace again in this world!''

Katara hugged me for a short moment and said:

''Thank you Yulizan, I hope you will be right. Come on, we should go to sleep as early as possible, so that we're completely ready tomorrow.''

''Of course.''

And so, I laid down to sleep shortly after, determined to end this war tomorrow and then look forward to my new life as a father.

The next morning, we all woke up well-rested, one could immediately notice it: The tenseness of course, but also the almost infinite determination. A few hours later, the first Water Tribe ships arrived at the cliffs, led by Katara's and Sokka's father, Hakoda. Katara introduced me to the experienced warrior, I was confident that we would have good chances with him as one of the leaders, he definitely knew what he was doing. From one of the other ships, the young earth bender, who had been part of the group that I had helped freeing from that prison, came walking towards us. Katara also introduced him to me. His name was Haru, he offered me a handshake and said:

''Katara told me that it was you, the guy in the hood, who killed the overseer back in the prison. I wanted to thank you for that.''

I immediately accepted the handshake and replied:

''No problem, I only acted in the sense of my task. Katara has told you of my ''profession'', hasn't she?''

''Indeed, and that's why I have great respect for you. I'm glad that you're on our side. I think you will be a great aid in this battle.''

With one of the last ships, the inhabitants of the Northern Air Temple also arrived at the cliffs. They were led by Teo and his father, who immediately approached me as soon as they touched land again:

''Young Master, it is a pleasure to meet you again. You remember the construction plan I had shown you back in the temple?''

''The plan for that little cannon thing? Of course. Why, what about it?''

Teo's father took something out of his bag.

''Well, I have managed to build this weapon! Look!''

He presented me a small device, consisting of a thin, short tube and a slightly wider end. It was small enough to easily fit to the gauntlets of my arm blades.

Teo's father explained: ''You see the little lever-shaped mechanism? All you have to do is aim and then pull the lever, this results in a tiny black powder explosion inside the weapon, which then throws out the previously-loaded bullet with high speed and strong force. The effect is so powerful that the bullet even penetrates armor! I have taken the liberty and also made a whole bag of fitting bullets for you.''

Teo's father handed me a little bag, which I immediately fastened to my belt. Afterwards, I attached the ''bullet-thrower'' itself to my left gauntlet and positioned it so that it didn't reduce my arm blade's availability, but still was completely usable without any problems. Oh yes! This little thing would definitely be a good help for the future. I thanked Teo's father and then walked over to Aang, who had just received a new glider from Teo. As I had learned a few weeks ago, he had burned his old one in a volcano. After that, we all walked towards the rest of the fleet, to listen to the plans one more time.

Hakoda stepped in front of the entire invasion fleet and explained the battle plans and tactics: The fleet's ships would transport the warriors to the Fire Nation capital, where they would storm the beaches, so that we would the palace before the eclipse would begin. Then the troops would take care of the defenseless fire benders, while Aang was fighting the Fire Lord. We would conquer the capital and finally end the war! When Hakoda had finished his speech, I asked him if I could address a few words to the fleet myself, he allowed it. I stepped in front of the assembled warriors and said with a loud and determined voice:

''Today is the day the Fire Nation perishes! Today is the day this pointless war finally come to an end! It will be a hard battle, but let me tell you: It's our time to change it all! Rise! Unite and fight! To make the world a better place! One for all, all for one! Today, we rise! We will be victorious!''

The assembled fleet cheered and let out a loud battle cry. I stepped back, Sokka clapped me on the shoulder:

''Nice speech, I honestly didn't think you were capable of something like this.''

''Well, special circumstances call for special abilities, don't they?''

Sokka nodded, before wandering off to consult with some other soldiers. I went over to Aang, Katara and Toph, who also readied up by buckling on battle armor, Aang was also shaving his hair to regain his bald head, which also resulted in his air bender tattoos becoming fully visible again. When I saw my friends prepare themselves for battle, I said in my mind:

''It's time!''

I went and got my burlap bag, opened it and spread the contents on the ground. Aang, Katara and Toph almost lost their breath when they saw what was lying in front of me: Night-black, metallic shining armor plates! I had already crafted them ages ago, but I had sworn to save them for the most important battle of my life! I waved some earth bender soldiers over, I needed their help to buckle on the plates. First the chest plate, then the individual plates for arms and legs, bit by bit and part by part the armor plates slowly found their place on my body and my robe. A few minutes later, I stood there, fully armored! And I had to say: While my new robe itself already had an intimidating effect due to its night-black coloring, now, with the armor, I looked even more dangerous!

''But the culmination is yet to come!'', I told my friends, when I took the final piece out from the burlap bag. When I presented it to them, they were almost frightened to death! It was a mask, night-black like the armor and modeled after the head of a demon. It was a replica of the face of the infamous Shadow Demon Grim Bazor, the Demon King, who had once been defeated in an epic battle by Master Assassin Burzu Lee, better known as the Dragon Emperor. I put the mask on, now my whole body was almost completely covered in black, I looked like a walking shadow, but that was my goal: To further unsettle the Fire Nation with just my appearance, to make the fights even more easy then they would already be. While I was equipping my weapons, Teo came rolling towards me and said:

''Yulizan, do you have a moment? My father has something else he wants to show you.''

I followed the crippled boy, curious about which other invention his father wanted to present to me. I already saw it from the distance shortly after: Teo's father was standing next to several huge, rot-black plates of metal.

I asked: ''What is this supposed to be?''

''Am I right in the assumption that your dragon will also take part in the battle?''

''Yes, that is correct.''

''Then my work wasn't for nothing, because what you are seeing here, is a specially-designed, custom-made dragon armor!''

Whoa! Not bad! Actually, why not? Pagan probably wouldn't need any additional protection, but this armor would definitely help with his intimidation factor, just like it was with me and my armor. I called my dragon, who shortly after landed right next to, I said to him:

''Look, Teo's father has built an armor for you. You could wear it during the battle, it would definitely make you look even more dangerous.''

Pagan thought about the whole thing for a moment and eventually agreed. Teo's father immediately called over some soldiers to help him buckle the armor plates onto Pagan's long body. While they were working, Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph came to us.

Aang said: ''That is nice. Appa has his own armor as well, that means we will have double support from the air.''

''But you don't know the best thing yet: Pagan can help us with his fire permanently.''

The others stared at me confused, Sokka said:

''Uh, hello? Remember? Eclipse! No sun - no fire bending!''

''This only applies to humans, Sokka. Dragons are often seen as the first fire benders, but that's only half of the truth. It's true: Dragons have mastered the fire long before the humans, but in a different way. Dragons produce their fire organically in their bodies, therefore, unlike humans, they don't need the energy of the sun. They have special glands that can produce fire. Thus, they are able to use their flames without any limits even during an eclipse, like the one we will have today.''

The others were visibly impressed, but also glad, since they now knew that would have some very useful help during the battle in the form of Pagan.

Now it was finally here, the moment of departure! We had developed a very special tactic with which we wanted to catch the Fire Nation off guard: We would send empty battle ships towards the Great Bay of Azulon, while our entire army would use special underwater-boats to reach the beach unseen. In addition, of course, there were Pagan and I, the support from the air. I walked over to my dragon friend, who was now completely clad in his armor, and told him:

''Alright, this is it, my friend, let's hope we will make it!''

''Don't worry, we can do it, you definitely have to make it, after all: You have quite a lot to lose...''

Pagan's last words caused a little feeling of uncertainty in my body. What if really something happened to me? Then my child would have to grow up without a father! And I simply couldn't and wouldn't allow that to happen! I had already fought in innumerable battles and I had survived every single one of them, so I would survive this one as well! Filled with determination, I climbed onto Pagan's neck, called to my friends:

''We'll meet at the beach!'', then we rose into the air.

Pagan's flight was a bit uneasy at first, since this was his first time to fly around wearing something like an armor, but he managed to used to it quite quickly. So we now headed straight towards the Fire Nation capital, we were flying straight into battle! In a few hours, the time would finally come, the war would finally be over!

But while my thoughts were already completely fixed on the fight, I suddenly heard a strange and very quiet music, so quiet that I almost wasn't able to understand it, in the back of my head, accompanied by words, uttered by an unknown voice, the same words, over and over again:

''When the empire falls...''

 **Next chapter: Day of the Black Sun (Part 2)**


	33. The Invasion Begins! (Black Sun, Part 2)

''When the empire falls...'', what did that mean, I asked myself, as we got closer and closer to the capital. The only logical thing that came to my mind regarding this strange sentence, was that it most likely foresaw our victory, as ''empire'' could only refer to the Fire Nation, which would fall today if the invasion would be a success. But the sentence seemed like it was not complete. Were there even more words that followed the ones I already heard, words that would possibly reveal the sentence's true meaning? I decided not to waste any further thoughts on this matter, but to completely focus on the upcoming battle instead.

I asked Pagan: ''So, are you ready?''

''I'm always ready, I'm already looking forward to unleash all of my power!''

''That's the spirit!''

Filled with confidence, we continued to fly over the sea, the ships and underwater-boats were also setting sail now.

A little bit later, the capital came into sight. The decoy ships were slowly heading towards the coastline.

''So now it begins...'', I thought, took my mother's medallion into my hand, pressed it firmly, looked up at the sky and said:

''Today, I will prevail, I will finally give you your long-awaited peace!''

When I turned my eyes back towards the coast, I saw that our plan proved to be successful: The empty decoy ships were attacked, while the underwater-boats were able to reach the beach without any problems.

''Well then, Pagan, attack!'', I called.

The dragon let out the loudest roar I had ever heard of him until now, he tucked up his arms and legs and hurtled towards the Fire Nation defense forces, who came gradually storming out from the city, like an arrow. He flew across the front rows head-on, while spewing a big burst of fire towards the ground, instantly killing a good bunch of soldiers already. After that, Pagan positioned himself in the air and started to focus his flames at the other soldiers and also the first war machines that were now coming out from the city, while our underwater-boats now emerged from the sea and one by one started to land at the beach. I spotted my friends, as they were exiting one of the boats, and said to Pagan:

''Quick! Bring me down and then continue your offense!''

The dragon glided to the ground as fast as possible, the first ground battles had already begun. I jumped off in the midst of the turmoil, while Pagan immediately rose back into the air and continued to launch bursts of fire into the rows of our enemies. I ran towards Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph, who all four were getting ready to fight. When I had reached them, I immediately said:

''Pagan is in control of the situation, his flames are causing a lot of damage to the Fire Nation troops!''

''Very good, everybody knows what he or she has to do?'', Sokka asked.

We all nodded, then Aang said: ''Good luck everybody, let's hope that we can celebrate our victory in a few hours.''

I tapped my chest with my fist and said: ''May the Spirits guide us!''

After this, our little group split up again, I ran over to a group of water bending with whom I had talked extensively before our departure from the Black Cliffs, because we had come up with a nice little plan to mentally weaken the Fire Nation soldiers already before the eclipse: We wanted to weaken them using fear! The plan was fairly simple: The water benders would conjure up a dense fog, which I would then stride through, wearing my black armor and mask. We hoped that the soldiers would consider me as a real demon and become visibly demotivated and frightened because of that. I also had another ace up my sleeve that was meant to increase the illusion even more. When a new large group of fire soldiers came storming out of the city, heading directly towards me and my group of water benders, we translated our plan into action. The water benders conjured up the fog and completely enshrouded us in it. Despite my mask, I was able to perceive the growing uncertainty in the eyes of the fire soldiers. I grabbed both my katanas and got ready to stride through the wall of fog. As I moved forward slowly and determined, I spoke with a dark and diabolic voice to recite an ancient prayer, written in the equally ancient language, which had supposedly been used by the demons themselves:

 ** _Tha thu a 'tighinn a-steach an rìoghachd na deamhain! (You have entered the realm of the demons!)_**

 ** _Bàs agus sgrios a 'feitheamh thu! (Death and doom await you!)_**

 ** _Do aghaidhean Grim Bazor, righ dheamhan! (You are standing in front of Grim Bazor, the King of Demons!)_**

 ** _Do thachair tha sheulaicheadh! (Your fate is sealed!)_**

While I was still speaking, I emerged from the fog, now I was standing there, looking like a true demon through-and-through! I immediately noticed the soldiers' terrified faces, some of them were even screaming in fear, especially after they had realized that I was holding swords in my hands. Our plan proved to be a complete success: They were way too frightened to put up even the smallest amount of resistance. I also got ready to use a new technique which I had developed in preparation for the battle: I had applied a special oil onto the blades of my katanas ahead of our departure. Now all I had to do was to bend a small flame and only a second later both blades were blazing fiercely! That was finally too much for the soldiers to handle: A shadow demon with two fire swords! Some of the soldiers from the back rows started running back into the city, screaming in absolute terror, I called to the rest of my group:

''Attack!''

Everybody stormed forward immediately, with myself in front! Both katanas ready to strike, I used the technique I had mastered back in the forest near Hama's village: I rammed the right katana through the chest of the first soldier with full force, the left katana shot forward at the same moment and decapitated another soldier who had been standing to the left of the first one. When the swords made contact with the bodies of the soldiers, flames shot out of both the blades and the bodies of the killed men, these flames then jumped over to the rest of the group of soldiers, setting some of them on fire as well in the process. It was a very single-sided affair. After less than ten minutes, my brigade and I had completely destroyed the entire group of fire soldiers!

And the rest of the battle was clearly in our favor as well. Our warriors, benders and machines did a very good job against the Fire Nation army. Even the Fire Nation tanks weren't able to cope with the attacks of the earth benders and also our own tanks. But then the defenders suddenly started to bring out the heavy machinery! After I had just incapacitated a tank by shooting an explosive arrow directly at it, a large fire ball hit the ground next to the destroyed war machine! I looked up and discovered the source of the projectile: A defensive tower had been erected! I knew that our infantry probably couldn't do much against this thing, therefore I whistled as loud as I could, Pagan came flying towards me in an instant. I didn't even let him land, but instead just shouted:

''Take care of that tower!''

The dragon understood and immediately started an assault on the tower. He dodged the projectiles that were hurled towards him skillfully mid-flight, until he was on the same level as the top of tower, in which the siege machines that were firing the projectiles were located. He immediately spewed a beam of concentrated fire at the tower, which first set the machines on fire and after another minute blew up the entire upper part of the tower! I clenched my fist and let out a small cheer, Pagan also let out a loud roar, before flying to the other side of the battlefield to help Appa, who was trying to take care of another tower. A short time later, that tower fell too, Pagan then set out to further decimate the Fire Nation army, Appa on the other hand landed a bit off the main battlefield, I spotted Katara and Sokka, sitting in the saddle. I rushed through the tumult of the battle, rammed my arm blades into some hostile guts or back here and there on the way, until I had reached the sky bison. Hakoda was laying in the saddle, he had been seriously injured during the attack on one of the towers, Katara had already started her healing. When she spotted me, she immediately said:

''Father is badly hurt, I don't think he can continue to fight.''

I became worried, without a strong leader, the whole army would soon be demotivated, which would definitely diminish our chances to win this battle.

But Sokka said resolutely: ''Then I take over command! I will lead us to victory!''

He sounded so mature and confident in his words that I didn't dare to contradict him. Hakoda defied his pain for a short moment and said:

''Then go and make me proud, my son!''

Sokka said goodbye to his father, jumped onto Appa's back and rushed off to give new orders to the warriors of our army.

I asked Katara: ''Will you be able to do this by yourself?''

She immediately replied: ''Of course, no problem, go back, they need you!''

I wished the girl and her father the best of luck, then I sprinted back to the battlefield, where progress had become visible, we were about to conquer the walls of the city. I entered the battle again and continued to decimate the Fire Nation forces. After a few minutes, the call we had waited for finally echoed over the battlefield:

''We are through!''

We really had made it, the wall was conquered! I immediately rushed through the now open gate into the city, a large part of our army by my side. Shortly after, Katara and Toph joined me on the other side of the gate.

I asked Katara: ''What about your father?''

''He's in a short-term sickbay by the beach, don't worry, he will pull through!''

''Alright, then let's go, to the palace! We need to find Aang and help him!''

But before we were able to set out, everything changed, and not for the better!

For I had scarcely spoken, Aang landed with his glider right next to us!

I was completely perplexed and asked the young Avatar:

''What are you doing here? Have you already defeated the Fire Lord? Without the eclipse?''

''The Fire Lord wasn't even in the palace!'', Aang said.

What? That couldn't be! How in the world was that possible?

Sokka, who had joined us as well in the meantime, said:

''There's only one logical explanation: The Fire Lord has somehow learned of the invasion and is now hiding somewhere!''

''But where?'', Toph asked.

''He most likely has a bunker or shelter somewhere in the city.''

''Then we must hurry and find this bunker before the eclipse begins!'', I called.

The others agreed with me. We briefly discussed what our next moves would be with some of the higher-ranking warriors of our army, in the end, the following arose as a result: Aang, Sokka, Toph and I would go and search for the bunker of the Fire Lord, while Katara and the rest of our forces would continue trying to conquer the palace.

I somehow had the feeling that this was only the tip of the iceberg and there were even more unpleasant surprises waiting for us...

 **Next chapter: Day of the Black Sun (Part 3)**


	34. Fight In The Bunker (Black Sun, Part 3)

We immediately set out to find the bunker in which the Fire Lord was supposedly hiding himself. I thanked the Spirits that we had Toph with us, because thanks to her special earth bending abilities, she was able to scan our entire surroundings, also underground. After a few minutes of search, she suddenly pointed her finger into the distance and said:

''There! The bunker is underneath that area!''

I followed her gesture, she pointed right at a small volcano located just outside of the city limits.

''Well, this comes in quite useful to me.'', I thought to myself.

Because: Even though I would not be able to bend fire during the eclipse, a fiery and hot environment would still give me a positive feeling for that period of time.

Sokka said: ''Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!''

He didn't have to say that twice! We ran off, heading for the volcano!

When we had reached the mountain, Toph quickly bent a tunnel into the massif, it would lead us under the earth, directly towards the bunker. I took advantage of the little time left before the eclipse to use my flames to give us the light we needed while we walked through the dark tunnel, however, I had to put it out here and there, as we often walked through chamber-like caves in which hot and flammable gases flowed out from cracks in the ground and the walls. We were making our way deeper and deeper into the heart of the volcano, which was also shown by the fact that small lakes of magma where now appearing from time to time. I enjoyed the heat of the molten rock, I literally sucking it in so that it could give me strength during the eclipse later. After we had walked through the underground tunnel for about half an hour, we finally found what we had been looking for: A big and strong metal door, the entrance to the bunker! Toph stepped forward, placed both her hands on the door and ripped a big hole into the metal without any problems. Her abilities amazed every single time, she truly was incredibly talented. We entered the bunker, without knowing where exactly to go next. But as fate would have it, a servant suddenly crossed our path. I grabbed him by the arm, twisted it so that it pointed to the back and then hit the arm as hard as I could with my elbow, breaking the bones without effort. The servant let out a small scream, but I pressed my other hand to his mouth and looked at him devilishly through the eye slits of my mask. I saw the mortal fear in the man's eyes when I asked him with a dark and muffled voice:

''Where...is...the Fire Lord?''

The man was not able to make a sound, but instead gestured at a large door at the end of a long corridor with trembling fingers.

''Thank you!'', I whispered and hit the servant on the neck with the side of my hand, destroying his carotid artery, killing him. I followed my friends, who had already went ahead, to the ominous door. In my mind, I briefly went through the schedule again, if I hadn't miscalculated, the eclipse would have to begin at this moment right now! I tried to generate a flame, but nothing happened, my hand didn't even get hot!

''Guys, the eclipse has begun, now or never!'', I said to my friends.

Thereupon, we all took up fighting positions, I grabbed both my katanas, ready to strike! Sokka counted to three, then we breached the door!

But what awaited us in the room behind the door caused us to stop dead in our tracks! Not the Fire Lord, but Azula waited at the end of the room, sitting calmly on a small throne! In the first moment I didn't know what happened to us, then an ineffable rage overwhelmed me! This damn little witch had conned us! I slapped myself a thousand times on the inside for that I had actually fallen for a such a cheap trick.

Azula grinned devilishly and said: ''Welcome Avatar! Surprised? You had probably expected to find my father here, am I right? Well, tough luck, but I had already learned of your little miserable invasion plan months ago. At first, I didn't really wanted to believe it, but my oh so fine brother was firmly convinced that you had survived, and would try to attack us again. Well, boo-hoo! Now, should I finish what I started back in Ba Sing Se? Even though I am currently not able to use my fire bending, you and your two friends still stand no chance against me!''

Azula laughed spitefully, she hadn't even spotted me yet. Therefore, I emerged from behind my friends, right into Azula's field of view. In the first moment slightly frightened by my sight, she immediately found her spitefulness again and asked mockingly:

''Oh, even more backup, Avatar? And what is that supposed to be? A living shadow? Don't make me laugh!''

Now I finally had enough! This time she wouldn't escape me!

With my demon voice I said: ''You should really learn to start thinking about what you are doing and wishing for, princess!''

Azula suddenly stopped laughing, stared at me with a shocked look in her eyes and shouted angrily:

''You dare talk to me like that? Who are you anyway?''

In response to that, I reached for my mask with both my hands, slowly and dramatically removing it from my face. When Azula saw my face and recognized me, she stumbled a few steps backwards in shock, before screaming with a fear and fury-filled voice:

''You! That's impossible! I have clearly killed you in Ba Sing Se!''

In contrast to our previous encounters, I didn't grin this time, but instead showed what was perhaps my grimmest face. With a dark voice I said:

''I am the phoenix! I have risen from the ashes of my defeat, with only one goal: Ending your worthless life! And today is finally the day when I reach this goal! Prepare yourself to step through the gates of hell, princess!''

Katanas drawn, I rushed forward, straight towards Azula!

But shortly before I reached her, two Dai Li agents shot out from the earthy ground! Thunderstruck, I stopped mid-run and stared at the two earth benders. But I regained my composure fairly fast and said with a dark voice:

''You miserable traitors! I still have a score to settle with you! You can't escape! Prepare to meet Long Feng again!

The two agents created some earth chunks from the rocky walls of the rooms and hurled them at me, but I was able to dodge them without problems. Without further frills, guided solely by my anger, I lunged at the two Dai Lis! I rammed my right katana through the chin and the whole head of the first agent from below, so that the tip of the sword broke through the top of the skull! While I was tugging at the hilt to pull out the katana again, the other agent tried to sneak up on me from behind. But I had foreseen the attack, kicked backwards with my right foot, hit the second agent directly in his abdomen, he went down. I tore the first katana out of the first agent's head, turned around in the same moment and rammed both katanas into the second agent's head and back with all my force and power! I panted with anger and exertion, and turned my eyes back to Azula, who seemed unaffected by my actions on the outside, but I could feel that she really was afraid of me on the inside. While we stared at each other, my friends now took the initiative and attacked Azula. But even without her fire bending, she proved to be a very tough opponent, as she was still very quick and agile, she dodged every single attack. After a couple of minutes filled with unsuccessful attacks, Sokka suddenly called:

''Forget it, guys, we are only wasting our time with her! We must find the Fire Lord!''

I called back: ''Then go! I stay and take care of her!''

When I turned to face Azula again and Aang, Sokka and Toph were about to leave the room, Azula suddenly said maliciously:

''Oh, does that mean the great warrior doesn't want to know what has happened to his fair maiden?''

Sokka turned around, thunderstruck, and asked with a voice that was filled with both worry and anger:

''What have you done to Suki?''

Great! Azula actually had something on us that kept me from killing her right here right now on the spot. But if I knew one thing, then that one should never leave a comrade behind, this now also pertained to the apparently vanished leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Toph reacted and tied Azula up against the wall, using a couple of earth rings. Sokka marched straight up to the princes and shouted:

''Where is she? What have you done to her?''

While Sokka was shouting, I suddenly felt how the heat returned to my body. Oh no, the eclipse was already over? And Aang hadn't manage to face and fight the Fire Lord? In my inside, my determination shattered into a thousand small pieces like a mirror. We had failed again? No! Not this time! This time I wouldn't withdraw from the battle without success or a fight!

Azula had noticed the return of her abilities as well, grinned and said:

''Nice try, but it's the end for you now!''

Using her blue flames, she effortlessly broke her chains and ran to the far end of the room. When she got there, she turned to face me and said with a wicked grin on her face:

''Well, tough luck, Hood!''

But I was by no means finished yet! I shouted:

''This is not over yet, princess! This time I won't fail!''

I conjured up two huge flames in both my hands and hurled them into every direction, every nook and corner of the room! Shortly afterwards, the entire room stood in white flames, except for the part in front of the door where my friends where standing. Although I of course already knew that we had lost, I still tried my best, or rather most desperate, to take down Azula. Unfortunately, my attempt did not bear any fruit, when the fire had cleared again shortly afterwards, Azula had disappeared. I was about to scream out my frustration over my failure as loud as I could, but Aang said to me:

''Come on, we need to get out of here!''

With an incredible rage boiling in my stomach, I followed my friends back to the surface.

The second we had left the volcano, we immediately saw the extent of the returned sun: A fleet of giant airships and balloons was heading straight towards the city! Now it was finally sealed: We had lost! The invasion had failed!

I immediately said to the others: ''No chance! We are completely outnumbered! Retreat and escape are the only options we have!''

The others agreed with me on that, therefore, we rushed back to the beach. But there, our chances were decimated even further, as the airships had destroyed almost all of the underwater boats. In the first moment, we didn't really know what to do next, then Hakoda came to us and said:

''Come on, you have to flee! We stay behind and let ourselves be captured! This way, we will give you enough time to get away far enough!''

Katara and Sokka did not agree with this plan at first, they didn't want to lose their father again, but eventually they realized that we had no other choice. After a brief but emotional farewell, we readied ourselves for departure. I whistled and Pagan almost immediately landed next to me. The traces the battle had left on him were clearly visible, most of his armor plates were either charred or bore deep furrows. But fortunately, he had not lost any of his strength. While I was climbing the dragon's neck, I saw that the rest of the group getting ready as well, some of the younger fighters, including Teo and Haru, would accompany us.

I called out to Aang: ''Where exactly are we flying?''

''The Western Air Temple! There we should be safe, at least for the time being!''

I looked at Pagan, he had understood. Shortly after, we rose to the air and shot past the airship blockade with lightning speed, heading westwards!

In the air, I finally realized to full extent that the entire invasion had been nothing but a bitter defeat. We hadn't achieved any of our goals: we had not conquered the city, Aang had not defeated the Fire Lord and I hadn't been able to kill Azula! All in all, it had been an outright disaster! Well, I could still draw at least one positive conclusion: Nothing bad had happened to me on a physical level, I was still alive, I could be there for my girlfriend and my child in the future.

Nevertheless, one thought still prevailed: Azula and eventually Ozai had to die, at all costs!

 **Next chapter: Conversion?**


	35. Friend or Foe?

We had been able to leave the airspace above the capital quite quickly, now we were flying westward, heading towards the Western Air Temple, where we would hide for the time being. The boiling anger in my body was only cooling down fairly slow again, the renewed defeat, even though it wasn't as bad as it had been in Ba Sing Se, was really gnawing on my mind, I couldn't and didn't want to believe that I, no we, had failed once again. Azula had escaped me once more and the Fire Lord had also skillfully dodged danger. It was not quite clear to me how many more defeats it would take before I would lose my mind and start wandering through the world, on an uncontrollable killing spree. No! I couldn't let things get that far, I had to stay focused, for the sake of my honor and most of all my future, Ty Lee and our child were more important than anything else, I would not let this happiness be taken away by anyone!

After a few hours, Appa slowly began to get tired, as he had to transport quite the good amount of people at the same time. Aang decided to give his bison a break, they would continue on foot for the time being. Pagan still had enough energy reserves, therefore the two of us were able to stay in the air, keeping an eye on our friends walking on the ground. Our journey eventually led us to the edge of a large and misty chasm. Pagan landed, I asked:

''And where exactly is the temple supposed to be now?''

''We're already there!'', Toph said.

We all looked around, but there was nothing to see except for the extensive grassy landscape and the chasm. An idea came to my mind. I said to the others:

''Wait here, we'll be right back.''

Pagan rose to the air again and headed for the chasm, into which we eventually descended a little bit. After a few meters, my assumption proved to be true: Many old and dilapidated temple buildings were hanging upside down from under the cliff. We rose back out of the chasm and shared our discovery with the others. Shortly after, everyone was sitting on Appa again. We flew into the chasm together, only to land in a larger courtyard between the upside down buildings a few seconds later.

I dismounted Pagan lividly, angrily kicked a little stone into the chasm with full force, then sat down on the ground. With a voice that was seething with rage I said:

''I can't believe it! We lost again! This just can't be true!''

Aang approached me and said: ''Yulizan, stay calm, it's...''

''No, Aang! Nothing is! We have planned this invasion for so long and so extensively and what did it do for us? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! We only were humiliated once more! I don't know what kind of philosophy you want to use this time, but I also don't care, because it won't do anything to help us! There is nothing positive about this battle! We are just as smart as we were before!''

Aang shrank back a few steps startled, he had never seen me so angry before.

It was this reaction by the young Avatar that made me realize how I had behaved, I dropped back down to the ground again, since I had jumped to my feet during my phase of rage.

''I'm sorry, Aang, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just ... I've experienced so many defeats over the last while and they all were so severe for my body and soul, it took me quite a bit. But I promise that it won't happen again.''

The Avatar approached me again, a smile on his face, he put his hand on my shoulder and said:

''Don't worry, everything is alright. I can understand you, but don't forget: If you hold on to past defeats for too long, they will also negatively affect the future.''

The young air bender was right. I briefly thought about his words and eventually came to the conclusion that I really shouldn't spend too many negative thoughts on the failed invasion, otherwise I would really become mentally unstable eventually, which would certainly not help me with the continuation of my mission. I reorganized my mind and then stood up again, my confident and determined look back on my face.

''So, what is our new plan?''

Sokka made a proposition: ''I think now there's only one fairly plausible plan: Aang has to learn fire bending and face the Fire Lord before the comet appears.''

Aang was visibly unsettled by this proposition, I felt that the events that had taken place back when we had visited Master Jeong Jeong were still weighing quite heavily on him.

He said: ''But where should I find a fire bending teacher? The only one we knew is Jeong Jeong, and I'm pretty sure that he doesn't want to see me again.''

I originally wanted to say something about this matter, but eventually decided not to, since I noticed that Aang really didn't want to be taught by Jeong Jeong again. Where should we find a suitable teacher for the fire bending then? I really couldn't think of any suitable option, the only other peaceful fire benders I knew were all Assassins, and as I had told my friends shortly after I had met them, Assassins were not suitable as bending teachers, because of the many special forms and abilities that our style of bending involved. As the others continued to talk, I sat down on the ground again and thought about other things, mainly about Ty Lee and our child of course. I thought about how I would be able to reconcile my Assassin affiliation and my new family life. The most sensible option would probably be that I gave up my position as an active fighter and only act passively in the future. But to be honest, I didn't really want to give up this life, the freedom, the excitement, the adventure, I was just so familiar with all this already. While we were all engrossed in our respective activities, we didn't notice how someone was approaching. It was only when I perceived a nervous and accelerated breathing a few meters behind me that I suddenly jumped to my feet and turned around.

But what I saw was worse than anything I had imagined! The others, who had also become aware of the new situation because of my sudden jump-up, saw it as well! There, just a few meters away from us, stood Prince Zuko! If my anger had only vanished a few minutes ago, it now had returned with almost the same intensity! Zuko raised his hand and opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn't able to speak a single word! I charged forward, fast as an arrow, so I stood right in front of him. Before he could react, my hand shot forward and closed tightly around his neck. I was almost one head taller than the prince and therefore now looked down on him, right into his terror-stricken scarred face. With bright flames of anger in my eyes and a knife-sharp voice I said:

''Give me one good reason not to squeeze!''

Zuko was already noticeably gasping for air, but my grip remained as firm as it was!

He croaked out: ''I'm not here to fight!''

Although I of course didn't believe him, I still loosened my grip a little bit so that we were able to understand him better.

''What do you want? Why are you here?'', I asked, still with the same sharp voice.

''I have changed my life, I have realized my mistakes. I'm here to teach the Avatar fire bending.''

''And why should we believe you?''

''I didn't immediately attack you, isn't that proof enough?''

Instead of an answer, I lifted the prince, even though he was only two years younger than me, a little higher up in the air by the throat and then hurled him backwards several meters! He landed hard in the dust, grabbed his throat and gasped for air. But he wasn't able to do this for long, because only seconds later one of my steel arrows hit the ground, right next to his head. He stared towards me horrified, with a furious face I called:

''If you show your face again, the next one will hit!''

Thereupon the prince jumped to his feet and ran away, I gazed after him, still with the same furious face.

I returned to my friends and said:

''He won't come back anytime soon!

The others were already discussing the events:

''What did he say? He has changed himself and wants to help Aang? Why should we trust him even in the slightest?'', Sokka asked.

Aang, as usual, tried to remain objective, recalling how Zuko once had freed him from the prison, disguised as the Blue Spirit.

Katara interjected: ''He only did that because he wanted to personally hand you over to the Fire Lord, not for any noble reasons.''

That became clear to Aang too after a few moments of thinking.

Toph, who had remained remarkably quiet and calm the whole time, eventually said: ''He appeared to be very confident all the time and seemed to have said the truth. Your prejudices against him obscure your possible insight.''

After this statement, another heated altercation arose, Katara accused Toph that she knew nothing about Zuko, as she hadn't been hunted by him the entire time. In the end, Toph was in the sulks once again and marched away frustrated. I also had spent some thoughts on this matter the whole time. Sure, Zuko had always wanted our death or at least our defeat, but nevertheless, he was still a son of the Fire Nation, we had a undying sense of honor. Was it actually possible that the mists of corruption in his mind had lifted and that he had found his true honor again? I also remembered the words of my father, the words he had whispered to me at the Northern Water Tribe, where I had already had the chance to kill Zuko:

''He will turn his back on the path of chaos.''

Was all that was happening now what my father had meant? I decided to sleep on it for one night and then make my final decision the following day.

The next morning, I was awakened by the sudden sound of a large wave of rubble rushing through the temple. I raised my head and saw Toph coming towards us, crawling on all fours and with a disturbed look in her eyes. I immediately jumped to my feet and ran over to her:

''Toph! What happened?''

''I was searching for Zuko during the night and also found him eventually, but then he did this.''

He sat down and showed me her feet. They were completely covered with big and bloody blisters!

I immediately called: ''Katara! Quick! We need healing!''

The water bender came rushing up at once and started treating Toph's injuries.

While she was working she said: ''Well, now it's definitely evident that Zuko is posing a great danger! We have to stop him before more like this happens!'' I momentarily forgot my thoughts from the previous evening and determinedly agreed with Katara! But just as Katara had finished the healing of Toph's feet, we heard a loud explosion above our heads, followed by an equally loud shout, I immediately recognized the voice as Zuko's:

''Watch out! Danger from above!''

At first I didn't know what to think of this, but then Pagan appeared from out of the chasm. I immediately jumped onto his neck, together we flew up to the top of the cliff. There I discovered the reason for the explosion: It was the colossal concentration bender with the eye-shaped tattoo on his forehead! He was just shooting another beam of highly concentrated fire directly at a loose piece of rock.

''Looks like the wound that I gave him back in that city has healed again by now.'', I thought. ''Then I think that I have to take care of him again, and this time once and for all!''

Pagan flew back down for a brief moment so that I could warn my friends.

I called: ''It's the giant with the eye on his forehead! Get yourselves to safety, I take care of this!''

Thereupon Pagan flew back up again, stopping at the same height as both the cliff and the giant, we were now directly in front of him, only a few meters separated us! He immediately noticed Pagan and me, grinned broadly and prepared another of his attacks. But I was faster! I took a throwing knife and hurled it right into the giant's head, it hit him right in his tattoo! Even though this did much more damage than the wound I had given him in our first fight, I was far from finished with him yet! I gave Pagan the permission to attack, the dragon roared loudly, before he grabbed the giant on his whole upper body with his strong jaws, shook him violently a few times and finally hurled him into the misty depths of the chasm!

''This guy definitely won't make us any more trouble!'', I said proudly to Pagan as we returned to the others.

When Pagan landed in the courtyard and I turned around towards my friends, I was as if struck by lightning! Zuko was indeed back! The anger inside me immediately started boiling up again, I reached for one of my katanas and marched towards Zuko, a furious look on my face! But before I reached him, Aang hastily took a step forward and called:

''Yulizan, no! Don't do anything to do! He really has cleared his character! He has openly admitted his faults! I have agreed that he will become my fire bending teacher, but only if everyone else agrees as well. You're the only one yet to agree. So?''

I skeptically put the katana back in its scabbard and started thinking. On the one hand, I was not entitled to question the Avatar's decision; on the other hand, I had to think about our all well-being, since I still was not sure if I really could trust Zuko completely. Eventually, I made a decision.

I directly approached Zuko: ''You surely are familiar with the honor of a son of the Fire Nation?''

''Only too well.'', Zuko replied.

''Then I hereby give you the chance to prove that you really have found your honor again: You and me, Agni Kai! Right here, right now! If you win, I will accept you completely, if I win, you leave, and should I ever meet you again after that, I will kill you without warning! So?''

I held out my right hand to Zuko. I clearly saw the fear and the tension in the face of the prince, I was curious to see if he would make the right decision. After a good minute Zuko finally said:

''No! I don't want to fight you! I've been in enough pointless battles and I don't want to destroy my life any further with more of these.''

I grinned and said: ''Very good! You have made the right decision. You have proved that you were able to cut yourself off from your old and evil self. Aang, you have a fire bending teacher!''

The young Avatar was happy, and Zuko had to smile as well. He said:

''I won't disappoint you!''

Even a few minutes later, I still was not able to be completely convinced by these words...

Later in the evening I was just about to lie down to sleep, when Katara came towards me and said:

''Yulizan, can I talk to you?''

''Sure, what is it?''

''I have noticed that you still don't completely trust Zuko, just like me, am I right?''

''To be honest: Yes, it's true. He was part of the Fire Nation leadership, which means that he also played a part in all the suffering that has happened in the world. I actually intended to kill him sooner or later. All the events of today might have given me new a perception of him, but that still doesn't mean that I completely trust him. I still see him as a risk, not just for Aang, but for all of us!''

''I feel the same way. Come, we should tell and show him once again what will happen to him if he's really just pretending.''

I nodded and followed Katara to Zuko's quarters. He was currently setting everything up, but when he turned around and spotted both of us standing in the door, his mood changed noticeably. I walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar, pressed him against the wall and placed my arm blade on his throat! Katara appeared next to me, looked the prince straight in the face with grim eyes and said:

''Listen carefully: If you try anything suspicious or try to harm Aang in any way, then...''

That was my cue, I slowly moved the broad part of my arm blade over the skin on Zuko's chin. Scared to death, the prince nodded as slightly as one could nod, I removed my blade and let him be, whereupon Katara and I left the room.

My next task was now clear to me: I would now permanently keep an eye on Zuko while he was teaching fire bending to Aang. I also considered to make another trip to Ba Sing Se to visit Ty Lee, I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, without neglecting my mission of course. Oh yes, there was a lot of hard work for me do in the near future...

 **Next chapter: Explanations, promises and confessions**


	36. Sun, Dragons and Love

The next morning, Zuko already wanted to begin with Aang's training. When he stepped out of his room and started making his way to the great courtyard, he walked past me as I leaned against a wall of rock, a skeptical expression on my face.

Slightly confused, Zuko said: ''Uh, good morning?''

I answered: ''I will keep my eyes on you, man, so watch yourself!''

Zuko quickly turned away from me and continued walking.

''Good! Respect me!'', I thought while following the prince with some distance.

When I arrived outside, I saw Aang already getting ready for the training. I sat down and leaned against a larger stone at some distance, got some fruits out of my bag and started eating them, while I watched Aang and the prince as they prepared for the training.

* * *

Zuko eventually said to Aang: ''Show me how much fire you can create already.''

Aang performed the standard fire bending movement, but all that emerged from his hands was a tiny flame which also died down again almost immediately.

Slightly disappointed, Aang said: ''Maybe you show me how you do it first, so I can understand better.''

Zuko agreed and now tried to create a flame himself, but his attempt wasn't any better than Aang's, to everybody's surprise. I really had to control myself to not laugh out loud, it really was quite the fiasco happening over there. And it didn't get any better over the course of the day. Around noon, I walked over and joined the others, who also had watched the whole occurrence from a different position. The first thing I noticed after I had reached them was that Katara also seemed to have a giggle over Zuko's miserable bending attempts, just like I had.

With a grin on her face she commented: ''It would have saved us much trouble if he had been like this a few months ago.''

I replied: ''Yes, especially that I wouldn't have had to freeze my fingers off in that snowstorm at the north pole.''

We laughed and continued to watch what I wouldn't exactly describe as training anymore.

* * *

Some time later, Aang and Zuko sank to the ground exhausted, Zuko panted:

''I just don't understand! Why doesn't it work anymore all of a sudden? I never had any problems like this before.''

I thought that now was the right time for me to get involved; after all, not only was I a very good practitioner of fire bending, but of course I also was more than familiar with the whole philosophy behind the creating of the flames.

I walked over to Aang and Zuko and said to the latter:

''Well, I might have an explanation for your ... ahem ... defective mastery of fire in recent times. You see, in the last months, and probably even years, you've always been driven only by your fury, your anger, your hatred. Negative emotions like this strengthen the fire bending. After being banished from the Fire Nation and making it your life goal to catch the Avatar, your entire mind was flooded with negative emotions. But now that you have refined yourself, you have dispelled your negative emotions as far as possible, but also destroyed your source of bending energy in the process.''

Aang asked: ''Does that mean he would have to get angry again to properly bend fire?''

Zuko immediately interjected: ''That may be true, but I don't want that anymore! I no longer want to rely on such emotions, but rather find a new, more practicable source.''

Toph joined us and said: ''Then I would advise you to go to learn from the original benders. I for example was taught how to earth bend by badger moles.''

''That may be a good idea, but unfortunately it's impossible to fulfill. The first fire benders were dragon, and they are as good as extinct.''

I immediately said: ''Whoa, not so fast, Zuko! I obviously have to explain quite a lot to you. Better sit down, it's a pretty interesting story.''

The prince did as told, I sat down as well and started to tell:

''Alright, the first thing you should know is that dragons weren't the first fire benders.''

Zuko asked astonished: ''What? But they have always said so in school!''

''Because schools don't have access to such information, unlike us assassins. The truth is this: While it's true that dragons have mastered the fire before humans, dragon bend fire in a different way. They produce it organically inside their body, with the help of special glands. Thus, dragons, unlike humans, are not dependent on the sun for the ability of fire bending.''

''But then who was the first fire bender of the way we know and practice it?''

''The sun! It is the source of all fire in the world. When man began to learn the art of bending, he was inspired by both the dragons and the sun. The dragons showed the humans that it was possible to create and control fire. Unlike the dragons, however, the humans had no organs to produce fire by their own hand. They needed a different source and eventually found it in the sun. They absorbed the sun's energy, the heat, felt them wandering through their bodies, eventually concentrated them with the help of their chi and eventually managed to create their own new fire. That's how fire bending came into existence, as we know it today.''

Zuko looked to the ground and rubbed his face with his hands, most likely processing all the new information you just had learned:

''I had no idea ... but how exactly is this supposed to help us to strengthen our bending again?''

''Well, does the term ''Sun Warriors'' mean something to you?''

''Of course! An ancient civilization, the alleged first human fire benders! But they also died out thousands of years ago.''

''Wrong again! What also only very few people know: From the Sun Warriors once came the first fire bender Assassins who long ago co-founded the Order. The Assassins always maintained a connection to the civilization, as most of the Sun Warriors want to stay among themselves. For this reason, we are the only people who know that members of the Sun Warrior civilization still live in an ancient city on a small island far in the north of the Fire Nation.''

''And what does that mean for us now?''

''Well, if you really want to try to re-learn your skills and abilities, you should follow Toph's advice and learn from the oldest fire benders. Travel to the Sun Warriors and acquire new knowledge.''

Zuko and Aang thought for a moment and then said: ''Alright, what other choice do we have?''

* * *

Shortly thereafter, the two were already preparing to leave. While Aang made Appa ready for the journey, I took Zuko aside and talked insistently to him:

''Listen: I clearly notice that you really mean the thing as seriously as you said. Regardless, a few words of caution: Keep your eye on Aang while you're on the move. When you meet the Sun Warriors, always behave in a manner that is both respectful and humble, then nothing bad should happen to you.''

''What do you mean: ''should''?''

''Well, the Sun Warriors, like the Assassins, are very skeptical of strangers and can become hostile quite quickly. You have to make it clear from the beginning that you come without any evil intentions.''

''Alright, we will remember that.''

''Good luck, may the Spirits guide you.''

After that, Zuko climbed onto Appa's saddle, where Aang was already sitting, and they flew away.

When I returned from the take-off spot, I saw Pagan lying on the floor, curled up and hanging his head.

I walked up to him, stroked his head and asked: ''What's the matter, my friend?''

The dragon sighed and said: ''Well, I'm disappointed because Aang and Zuko get the chance to see other dragons and I don't.''

I immediately knew what Pagan was talking about: I hadn't told the others that some very old dragons were reportedly living in the city of the Sun Warriors who worshipped the giant lizards as gods. Pagan of course knew that and was sad now, as he surely would have liked to meet a fellow member of his species.

I tapped one of his horns and said encouragingly: ''You know what? When the whole war is over, the two of us will also travel to the Sun Warriors at some point, then you can meet the other dragons.''

Pagan's mood immediately lit up again, he blew out a small cloud of smoke from his snout and said: ''Thank you! That would really mean a lot to me!''

''Hey, you're my best friend, and friends give each other special treats from time to time.''

Happy again, Pagan unrolled himself and set out to fly through the chasm for a little bit, to re-vitalize his body. I looked after him for a short moment before I eventually went back to the rest of my friends.

* * *

The rest of the day I didn't really have anything to do anymore, most of the time I just sat there, leaning against my rock, thinking of Ty Lee and our child. I imagined what it would be like once it was born. Probably the most beautiful, but at the same time most difficult time of my life would start. In addition, I also already began to make plans, in fact, I intended my child, no matter if it was a boy or a girl, to become an Assassin like me, once it was old enough, to uphold the tradition of my family, of course only if Ty Lee agreed as well.

While I was absorbed in my thoughts, Katara came to me and asked: ''Yulizan, tell me, is something aggrieving you? You've been sitting here without saying a word the whole time, making a pensive face.''

I looked at the water bender and thought. Should I just tell her? Sooner or later, the others would probably find out anyway, so it would be better if I told them personally.

I said: ''Yes, actually. I think I have to make a confession. But promise me you won't freak out.''

''Promise.''

''Alright. You remember that I had something going on with Ty Lee in Ba Sing Se...''

''Yes...'', Katara's face immediately became more serious.

''Well, I want to be honest: I fell in love with Ty Lee. And she fell in love with me. We are together.''

Katara's mouth opened wide to say something, but I was faster: ''But that's not all. The night before the invasion, when I disappeared, I actually visited Ty Lee in Ba Sing Se. And on this visit she revealed to me that she's pregnant. I'm going to be a father, Katara.''

The water bender clapped her hands over her mouth and said: ''Oh dear!''

With a serious face, I continued: ''Don't you understand? I miss her, I want to see her again, be there for her. That's why I sat here so pensive the whole time. I hope you understand. These are my honest feelings, so please respect them.''

Katara was pacing, I could feel that she was thinking. After a few minutes, she finally said: ''While I'm not keen that you have accepted to endanger our mission this much, if they really are your true feelings and you really love this girl, and I believe you that your feelings are true, then I can accept it.''

I jumped to my feet and hugged Katara tightly: ''Thank you, I was sure you would ostracize me if you found out.''

''Well, you should really know us better by now. Friends are there for each other, that's well known.''

''And I know that now too. So, if you don't mind, I would like to fly to Ba Sing Se with Pagan, to visit her.''

Katara put her hand on my shoulder and said with a smile on her face: ''Just go. I will let Sokka and Toph know about the whole matter.''

''Thank you, but promise me one thing: Don't tell Zuko anything, he knows Ty Lee, if he finds out, it could be dangerous for us all. However, you can let Aang in on the matter without any worries, once they're back.''

''Alright, I will do that.''

Thereupon, I walked to the edge of the chasm, whistled for Pagan and shortly afterwards sat on the dragon.

''To Ba Sing Se!'', I called and Pagan rushed off.

* * *

Once we were high enough in the air, I took the Heart Stone out of my bag, ran my fingers over the red gem gently and eventually heated the whole thing in my palm. The heart began to pulsate immediately, I hoped that Ty Lee was not busy at the moment and would notice the pulsation of her stone. We reached Ba Sing Se in the early evening, the sun was just starting to set, but it was still almost as bright as day. We performed exactly the same maneuver as on my last visit. Camouflaged, Pagan flew over the city as close to the ground as possible, I jumped off him near my hideout. I landed in the same alley as last time again, took the stone in my hand firmly and started my search for Ty Lee. But I didn't have to search long, because when I left the alley, which was right next to my hideout, I saw Ty Lee standing directly in front of the latter, her stone in her hand. I packed my stone away, snuck up silently behind my love with a grin on my face, and put my hands over her eyes.

With a slightly startled voice, she asked: ''Who is this?''

''I!''

''Who I?''

''I love you!''

I removed my hands and turned Ty Lee around. When she saw me, her eyes lit up and she immediately kissed me.

I answered the kiss and then asked: ''So, how are the two of you?''

As I said that, I put my hand on Ty Lee's belly.

She smiled and said: ''Not right here, let's go inside.''

Shortly afterwards we were once again standing in the main room of my hideout.

I repeated my question: ''So?''

Ty Lee answered: ''Everything's fine. I'm well, the bundle of joy has not made itself felt yet, still just too small.''

''Good to hear. Do you pay enough attention to your health and your nourishment? That's very important, especially during the early stages of pregnancy, so that the child can develop without any problems.''

''Of course, I have already informed myself about all the important things, you don't have to worry about that.''

I moved a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her again.

Then I asked: ''By the way: Have you already told someone else?''

''No, you?''

''To be honest: Yes, I just couldn't keep it to myself any longer, and let's face it: Sooner or later, they would have figured it out anyway.''

''You're probably right. But tell me: Can you stay a little longer this time? I don't want you to leave as soon as last time.''

''Don't worry, this time I have enough time. Which means that the two of us can enjoy some quiet days full of intimate togetherness.''

Ty Lee was very happy about this realization, just like me. My friends would be fine, and if they really would get in danger, I would sense it and could go to the rescue if really necessary.

But for now, on to some nice time together with the love of my life!

 **Next chapter: Prison Break**


	37. The Boiling Rock

The next days were the purest balm on my soul, finally I didn't only have peace and quiet for a longer period of time, but I was also able to spend this time with the two persons most important to me. Ty Lee and I spent almost every single minute together, during the day we were always strolling through the whole city a lot, thanks to the coloration of my new robe I now looked like an ordinary Fire Nation citizen and therefore didn't attract any attention, while indulging in our love almost every night now. Ty Lee was a bit worried at first that it could hurt the baby, but I was able to hush her fears fairly quickly and assured her that the baby was in no kind of danger. So we made love again and again, it simply was an indescribable feeling, I almost never had been happier in my life, and our child wasn't even born yet. Then everything would be perfect, my life would finally be in balance again, at peace with itself. I was looking forward to this day more than yearningly!

* * *

As the days passed, we occasionally commuted between my hideout and Ty Lee's home in Ba Sing Se, which was also pretty nice to look at. Our activities included simple walks during which we talked a lot about our plans for our future, but also visiting the many different shops and stores that were spread all over the city, the latter most of the time ended with Ty Lee buying a large amount of different stuff which then resulted in me playing the pack mule, carrying everything back to our home. But this didn't bother me in the slightest, as long as Ty Lee was happy, I was happy too. The many people on the streets also always gave us friendly looks when we walked past them as the young couple in love that we were. It was just wonderful, but unfortunately it didn't continue that way in the end...

* * *

About one week after my arrival in Ba Sing Se, when we entered Ty Lee's house in the afternoon, after we had eaten lunch in one of the city's many teahouses, there was a scroll on the table in the entrance hall that hadn't been there when we had left. Ty Lee unrolled and read the scroll, I looked over her shoulder and read along. What I had to read made my blood boil: The message was from Azula, she wrote that she, Mai and Ty Lee would soon go on another mission.

Ty Lee gasped and said: ''Oh no! What am I going to do now?''

''Don't go, under no circumstances, no matter what kind of mission it might be! You can't expose yourself or the child to any stress, let alone put yourselves in danger, that would just be far too risky!''

''But you know Azula. She will force me to tag along, no matter what happens. And I can't anything about my condition, that would be even more dangerous! Oh Yulizan, what am I going to do?''

Ty Lee started to cry, I embraced her comfortingly and whispered: ''Relax, don't worry, nothing will happen to you, I'm here for you.''

My words seemed to help, for her crying became noticeably quieter, until it eventually turned back into sobbing, as she rested her head against my chest while I had my arms around her, holding her tight, as if I wanted to protect her from any kind of harm with the embrace. I thought: How could we possibly solve this problem? Of course, the simplest method, which also was the one I would have liked the most, was that I would simply kill Azula once she had arrived. But unfortunately, quite a lot of things spoke against this, first and foremost of course the fact that I wouldn't be able to perform a unnoticed assassination on Azula and a public execution was even more out of the question in a big city like Ba Sing Se. So what could we do? I thought about it for a while longer and finally came to a decision that I admittedly didn't really like that much, but it was probably the most comfortable and safe one for me, Ty Lee and our child.

I put my hands on Ty Lee's shoulders and explained to her: ''Now listen carefully, I have a plan on how we can most likely accomplish this whole thing safely: You will just go on this mission with Azula. You're still in the very early stages of your pregnancy, so you shouldn't really be affected by this yet. You just have to be careful that your belly doesn't get hit by any kind of strike, blow or the like. And to make sure that Azula doesn't pose any kind of threat to you on this mission, me and Pagan will secretly follow and keep our eyes on you permanently. If anything unforeseen happens, I will intervene and get you out of wherever that place Azula will take you to might be, as fast as possible. What do you say?''

I saw that Ty Lee was thinking hardly about the whole matter, after a couple of minutes she said: ''I think this could work, I honestly can't think of anything better at the moment.''

''Then let us hope for the best.''

* * *

Ty Lee hugged and kissed me, but we weren't able to enjoy the togetherness, because only seconds later there was a loud hammering on the door, followed by an elitist-sounding voice:

''Ty Lee! Are you ready? We have to go!''

We immediately recognized the voice: It was Azula! I had to hide immediately, I looked around the room, the best option was a wardrobe. I yanked the door open and slipped between the many robes and coats, closing the door to a small gap so I could see and hear what was going on in the room. Ty Lee opened the front door and Azula came strutting in. The sight of her made my blood boil again, but I had to hold myself back, I couldn't risk to reveal myself in this moment.

Ty Lee now asked: ''So, what kind of mission is this that you need me for?''

''Oh, it's actually not really a mission. We will pay a little visit to the Boiling Rock prison, on behalf of the Fire Lord.''

I felt cold shivers running up and down my spine! Did she just say ''Boiling Rock? The world's most secure prison, located on a small island inside an active volcano? In what kind of nightmare, for the love of the Spirits, had I just sent Ty Lee into? A trip to the Boiling Rock was basically a suicide mission! I would go into this pursuit with highly-increased attention and preparation, I swore to myself in this moment. After a few minutes, Azula and Ty Lee left the house, after Ty Lee had finished getting ready for the mission. I waited for another moment, then slipped out of my hiding place and left the house as well. I looked around and was able to spot the girls at the end of the main street. I caught up a little, but of course still remained a sufficient safety distance. They led through the whole Upper Ring and eventually out of the city. Outside the city walls, there was a smaller Fire Nation airship, similar to those that had arrived at the end of the invasion. Staying hidden in the shadow of the wall, I watched as Azula and Ty Lee climbed into the ship, where they joined Mai, who had already been visibly impatient because of the long wait, and lifted off. Shortly after I whistled and Pagan landed right next to me. I mounted the dragon and told him:

''Our destination is the Boiling Rock, but first follow that airship over there.''

Pagan nodded, rose to the air, camouflaged himself and took up pursuit.

* * *

The flight took quite a long time, only the next morning our destination came in sight: A large volcano with a wide crater, inside there was no lava, but boiling water instead! Only in the middle of this hot lake an island rose, upon which the probably most secure prison ever built by men sat enthroned. Nobody escaped the Boiling Rock! Even if one succeeded in overcoming the walls of the prison building, after that it was end of the line. The only way out from the interior of the volcano was either by air or by a couple of gondolas which had their station on the edge of the crater, every other way was blocked by the boiling water, which would cook everyone who tried to swim through it alive! We watched as the girls' airship landed near the gondola station, all three hopped out and then entered one of the gondolas, right on the way towards the prison. Pagan and I started to make slow circles over the crater, Pagan visibly enjoyed the hot steams which were permanently rising from the boiling water below, he simply was in his natural environment.

This gave me an idea, I asked Pagan: ''Say, do you think you could land and swim in that water down there without injuring yourself?''

''Of course! The heat is a dragon's habitat, and a hot bath like this would certainly be something very pleasant!''

''Good to know...'', I thought as I continued my observations.

* * *

For a couple of hours nothing really interesting happened, I was glad that Pagan had a lot of stamina and therefore didn't get tired of making circles. Normally I would have given up hoping that something would happen after some time, but this time I couldn't just stop, the lives of Ty Lee and our child were at stake, I had to stay on guard! And eventually my patience was rewarded! Because shortly thereafter, it became noticeably louder in the prison below us. Pagan camouflaged again and flew as close to the building as he could. The source of the noise turned out to be a riot of the prisoners, who, for some reason, were all roaming outside in the prison courtyard. But it wasn't the riot itself that attracted my attention, but rather four people fighting through the turmoil of prisoners. They were Sokka, Zuko, Hakoda and Suki!

''What in the name of the Spirits are they doing here?'', I asked myself.

I watched as the four fought their way to the landing spot of the gondolas, then I understood: Hakoda had stayed behind with the other adults after the invasion, had surrendered and been taken captive, and now Sokka and Zuko had most likely infiltrated the prison to free him, only what exactly Suki had been doing here was beyond me. When a gondola reached the landing spot, they all entered it, a bound man wearing a decorated uniform in tow, probably a high-ranking guard of the prison. Zuko kicked a lever and the gondola started moving again, back towards the edge of the crater. I was inclined to help my friends, to make sure that their escape was successful, but in the same moment I heard a strange buzzing noise close to Pagan and myself. I looked around and spotted Azula's airship! She was standing on a viewing platform, Ty Lee by her side, and they were moving directly towards the gondola.

''Oh no, now this gets serious!'', I said to Pagan.

I could almost imagine what they were planning to do: jumping from the airship's platform onto the gondola! If this happened, I wouldn't have any opportunity to intervene, otherwise I would put Ty Lee and myself in unnecessary danger. I decided to keep watching from a safe distance and only intervene if everything else would fail.

* * *

And as if on cue, something bad was actually about to happen, because at the gondola station, some of the prison guards now began to notch the cable that was carrying the gondola!

''Oh no, that doesn't look good!'', I thought and panic slowly started to fill my body.

Azula and Ty Lee apparently also had noticed what was happening and therefore jumped over onto a second gondola which was attached to another rope. I let out a small sigh of relief, at least Ty Lee was safe now. The same could not be said about my friends however. I was on the brink of intervening and ready to take out the guards who were notching the rope, but no one less than Mai took this task from me! She hurled some of her knives at the guards so that they immediately stopped sawing. The gondola with my friends on top of it thus continued to move towards the edge of the crater and eventually reached it. All four jumped off the gondola and fled from the volcano.

''One problem settled, one still there.'', I said, looking towards Azula and Ty Lee, who had just reached the prison again on their gondola. I told Pagan to fly as close to the prison as possible, I then would jump off to get even closer to the action. The dragon did as told, flew towards a watchtower camouflaged, I jumped off and landed on the tower's roof. Pagan sank down just a bit, so I could jump back on anytime. But now I focused my thoughts on what was happening in the courtyard.

* * *

As soon as Azula and Ty Lee had arrived with their gondola, some guards already brought Mai to them. Azula slapped her across the face and yelled:

''You better have a good explanation for what you have done!''

Mai rubbed her cheek and said with a determination-filled voice:

''Quite simply: My love for Zuko is stronger than my fear of you! I'm sorry Azula, but I'm bailing out! Make your megalomaniacal plans with someone else in the future!''

Azula became wild with fury and wanted to charge at Mai, but at the last moment Ty Lee jumped in, grabbed Azula by the wrist and threw her to the side. The princess was back on her feet fairly fast, glared at Ty Lee with a hate-filled look in her eyes and said with an almost poisonous-sounding voice:

''You too?''

Ty Lee took a determined step forward, now standing right next to Mai: ''I too am not afraid of you anymore!''

I had to smile, that was my girl!

Azula's eyes became glassy, like those of a demented witch, she yelled:

''Guards! Arrest these two traitors!''

Mai and Ty Lee didn't have enough time to react and were overpowered by the guards.

Azula said: ''There is only one punishment for treason! Throw them into a cell until they rot! I never want to see those wretched faces again!''

After that, Ty Lee and Mai were lead away and moved towards the cell block by the guards. Ty Lee looked up to the sky in sadness as she was led away, and therefore coincidentally spotted me on the roof of the watchtower.

Her big sad eyes said only one thing: ''Please help me!''

I gave her a determined nod, of course I would free her, no matter what!

* * *

When the girls and the guards had disappeared into the prison, I jumped off the watchtower's roof again, back onto Pagan, who then flew back to a higher altitude.

I said: ''Pagan, my friend, we have to forge out a battle plan!''

''What do you mean by that?''

''Ty Lee is in this prison now, I have to free her!''

''And how exactly do you want to do that?''

''Don't worry, I already have a pretty concrete plan. Listen: You said that you can swim in the water here in the volcano?''

''Yes?''

''Good, because that is what you have to do during my plan. You see, I plan on getting the uniform of a prison guard to disguise myself, which will then allow me to safely infiltrate the prison and finally get the girls out of there. That's when you come into play: Depending on where exactly the cell with the girls is, you have to wait in the water below that area, I will blast a hole into the cell's wall, then you have to fly up, pick me and the others up and finally fly all of us out of this crater. Do you think you can at least make this short distance with more than two persons on you?''

''Could be physically demanding, but I will try my best.''

''Very good, then let's go, we have to free my love!''

* * *

I had already spotted a suitable location where I could begin with my plan. Pagan flew to a spot on the prison island where a single guard kept patrolling all the time, most likely to make sure that no prisoners reached that point should they try to escape. Under the cover of the rocks, I jumped off the dragon's neck, before Pagan himself landed in the water, right onto the island's rocky terrain. I explained all the steps of my plan to Pagan one more time, to make sure he really knew the entire score:

''Alright, as soon as you see and hear an explosion, you fly towards it and pick us all up, got that?''

''Got it! and Yulizan, good luck!''

''Thank you, my friend.''

After that, Pagan dove completely under water, I started sneaking towards a small rock, behind which I then hid myself, keeping my eyes focused on the single guard that was patrolling the area. I continued to watch closely as the man made his rounds, walking along the whole waterfront of the island. When he turned his back to me, I reacted lightning-fast, emerged from behind the rock, silently sprinted towards the guard and rammed my right arm blade right into his lung from behind. The man dropped dead immediately, but I caught him before he hit the ground and quickly pulled him back behind the rock, to make sure that no one was able to see him. I then completely undressed the corpse and threw it off the island, right into the volcano's boiling water. Now I took off my robe and all my weapons, except for one dagger and three throwing knives, which I put in the right boot, and put on the guard's armor. While it was a little too big for me, this fortunately didn't really affect or hinder my movements. I whistled softly so that Pagan reemerged from the water, took my clothes and weapons and put them in the bags that Pagan had strapped around his neck. Fortunately, these were made of burnt leather, therefore the boiling water wouldn't affect the contents. After that, I gave Pagan the signal to dive again, then, now wearing my disguise, I headed for a small side door, through which I eventually reached the innards of the prison.

* * *

Inside, everything was very dark and there were guards running around everywhere, trying to get the rebelling prisoners back into their cells after the riot. It was fortunate that the guard, whose clothes I had taken possession of, had worn a helmet with a built-in mask along with his armor, this way I was able to wander through the individual cell blocks completely incognito. I checked every single cell I passed, being on the look-out for Ty Lee and Mai. At first I seemingly had been in the men's block, but after a while I saw a lot of group cells and then eventually the apparent women's block. This one was much smaller, better said far less filled, which would make my search easier. I had a look at every single solitary cell, but wasn't able to find the girls anywhere. Therefore all that remained for me to search were the women's group cells. And in there luck was finally on my side! Only one cell was occupied, and in it I spotted my girlfriend, Mai and several other girls.

''Guess I'll have to free them as well.'', I thought while looking around.

The cell was located in some sort of special-block, with no other cells in immediate vicinity, but there still were three guards standing around and in front of the cell, evidently Ty Lee and Mai had been classified as high-security prisoners. I probably would have to take care of the guards if I wanted to free the girls. One of the guards was standing a little more secluded from the cell, so that he could see the other two, but they couldn't see him. I would take advantage of that! I walked towards the secluded standing guard as normal as if I was making my round, but once I was behind him I grabbed him tightly around the neck and started to strangle him! At first the guard tried to fight out of the grip and fidgeted a lot, but the more pressure I applied to his neck, effectively cutting off both his brain's blood and air supply, the weaker and quieter he became, until he eventually collapsed dead in my arms. I dragged the corpse into a dark corner and then prepared myself to take out the other two guards. I walked past them, once again trying to make it look like I was making my round, then turned again and started walking towards the two again. After I had gotten rid of the first corpse, I had already taken a throwing knife into my hand, now also reaching for my dagger as I approached the guards. One of the guards noticed it, but he didn't manage to scream for alarm because I had already rammed my dagger into his chest! The other guard noticed this now and ran towards me, but I hurled the throwing knife at him, it hit him right in the neck! Both guards dropped dead to the ground at the same time. I searched the corpses for the key to the girls' cell and also found it pretty quickly. The girls in the cell had been following all the action with great tension, now as I approached the cell after I had done my work, they all had slightly frightened looks on their faces.

I took off the helmet with the mask and said: ''Don't worry, I'm a friend!''

Ty Lee's eyes became huge when I recognized, she probably would have liked to rejoice loudly if it wasn't for her current situation.

I inserted the key into the lock and said: ''I'm going to get you out of here now.''

Mai asked: ''And how exactly? We'll never make it all the way to the exit unharmed!''

''We won't use the main exit, I'll make us our own exit. You all better step back a little.''

The girls did as told, while I got a small glass ball, filled with flammable explosive oil, out from my armor's pocket, I had put it in there while I had disguised myself.

I turned around and asked: ''Ready?'', all girls nodded.

I created a tiny flame that set the oil on fire and then hurled the ball directly at the cell wall with the window. The glass broke with a loud bang as it hit the wall, blasting a huge hole into it. Only a couple of seconds later we already heard the alarm gong, I kept looking for Pagan, who only a few moments later came flying towards us with high-speed, stopping right in front of the hole in the wall.

I called out to the girls: ''Come on, come on, jump on! We have to get away from here!''

All the girls jumped through the hole and took their seats on Pagan, who sank down a little bit under the large weight, but remained in the air. I was the last one to leave the cell, when all the girls were already sitting on the dragon.

I tapped Pagan's neck and said: ''Now let's go, my friend, show us what you're capable of!''

Pagan started to move, much slower than usual, but eventually he made it and we rose far enough into the air to leave the volcano. Ty Lee, who was sitting directly behind me, had her arms wrapped around my body.

I actuated Pagan: ''Come on! Only a little bit more!''

The dragon mobilized all of his strength and finally managed to fly over the edge of the crater! Everybody cheered, as Pagan, even though already visibly exhausted, but still at full speed, left the volcano island behind.

* * *

We directly flew towards the nearest spot of mainland, more Pagan simply couldn't manage with so many passengers on him. As soon as he landed, he immediately slumped to the ground exhausted.

I dismounted the dragon, tapped his neck and said: ''Rest easy, my friend, you have more than earned it!''

When I turned around, Ty Lee immediately flung her arms around my neck.

She kissed me and said: ''Thank you! I knew that you would come and save me!''

''Come on! Surely I won't let the two most important people in my life rot away in such a dangerous prison!''

We laughed, then Ty Lee introduced me to the other girls. I already knew Mai, as she had now turned her back on Azula, we had no reason to fight each other anymore. The other girls were all members of the Kyoshi Warriors, who had been incarcerated in the Boiling Rock together with Suki. They were visibly amazed by me and my fighting skills, I had to control myself to not blush with pride. When we all had calmed down a bit again, I suddenly felt a slight pain my left hand. I raised it and saw that the tattoo on my ring finger was glowing, but this time it wasn't a red glow, but rather a blue glow! What did that mean? Whatever it was, it meant that my friends at the Western Air Temple were in danger, I had to go and help them as soon as possible!

I asked the girls: ''Do you think you can make it alone from here? I have to go, quickly, duty calls!''

The girls nodded, Ty Lee was a little sad that we had to split up again, but I promised her: ''The next time we see each other, it will be forever!''

With this assurance in mind, Ty Lee wished me good luck, I told her to take care of herself and the baby, then I ran to Pagan. I took my own things out from the bags, got rid of the prison guard's armor, put all my equipment back on, burned the armor and then said to the still sleepy-looking Pagan:

''Come on, we have to get back to the Air Temple! The others are in danger!''

As soon as he heard these words, Pagan was wide awake again, I mounted him, we rose to the air and dashed off, on the fastest route back to the Western Air Temple!

* * *

 **Next chapter: Tensions in the team**


	38. Revenge or Forgiveness?

As we made our way back to the Air Temple, many different thoughts ran through my mind: The glowing of my tattoo continued to last, but fortunately didn't really hurt anymore. It hadn't been an ordinary pain, like the one I've always had during a red glow, anyway, but instead a strangely cold and stinging pain, as if someone was stabbing a small pointed icicle right into my finger. This seemed to be some kind of protection mechanism that would cause to go and help the Avatar, which I was doing at the moment. I also thought of Ty Lee, it had been really difficult for me to leave her so quickly once again. But I would keep my word: The next time would be forever! Because if my thoughts weren't erring, the comet's was in less then two weeks already! That meant that only a few more days were between me and the culmination of my mission. And once it was finally done, it would signify the end of my active Assassin career. After that, it would only be me, Ty Lee and our child, this I swore to myself faithfully!

* * *

Shortly afterwards we spotted the familiar chasm, still filled with dense fog, in which the temple was located. But when we dove into the fog to find a place to land, we saw it: Several Fire Nation airships hovered just outside the Air Temple! On one of the ships, which was hovering slightly in front of the others, I spotted Princess Azula on the observation deck. She watched as the airships fired large burning rocks at the temple buildings.

My blood started to boil, in my mind I said: ''Just you wait, you bitch! This whole affair is personal now, after what you did to Ty Lee! I will destroy you!''

To my dragon friend I now said loudly: ''Pagan! Our friends are down there somewhere! We have to attack the ships and bar them from firing! So show them all of your power!''

Pagan nodded determinedly and started to fly an attack on the nearest airship. He spewed a concentrated jet of fire right at the ship's left side, I supported him with an almost equally strong concentrated inferno of white flames. Our attack eventually was successful, after a few minutes we managed to burn a gaping hole into the airship's outer shell, so that it first tipped to one side and ultimately fell into the depths of the foggy chasm. I watched the destroyed war machine fall for a few seconds, then turned back towards the observation deck, my eyes fixed on Azula, who was still standing there.

I said: ''Come on, take me there! This time, I'm finally going to get the witch and finish her!''

Pagan turned and flew towards the platform precisely, where he then reared up with his whole size, before I jumped off and landed on the platform, just a few meters from Azula.

* * *

My landing made the princess jump, she immediately turned to me. When she saw and recognized me, she made a step backwards in shock. I just continued to stand there, fixing her with my grim expression. The already strong winds in the chasm, which now were even more intense because of the airships, blew the hood off my head, but I did not care for that in this moment! All my thoughts were focused one goal alone: To finally end the life of this despicable girl! I had already suffered so many defeats against her in the past, but I wouldn't fail another time! Without saying a single word, I summoned flames in my hands and began to hurl them at Azula! She seemed to have regained her courage, dodged the flames at the very last moment and now began to counterattack with her own fire. But I also had no problems dodging this, and hurled even more flames at her in return. This went on for several minutes, none of us was able to work out an advantage for themselves. Then, however, the key moment happened: I had just hurled another, this time especially large, flame at Azula, but she caught and deflected it to the side. Unfortunately, she hadn't paid attention to where exactly she had deflected the flame, namely straight into the steam-powered flight mechanism of the airship! The fire caused the entire machine to explode, the explosion's power threw both Azula and me off the platform, we fell into the chasm on opposite sides of the airship. Luckily, Pagan was already in position, I rushed through the air towards him headfirst, until I safely sat on his neck again. When I turned around, I saw the airship falling into the depths of the chasm, as well as Azula, who had used her crown-shaped metal hair clip to save herself and was now hanging on a rocky ledge on the chasm's wall. Even though I was angry that I once again had not managed to kill the princess, I had no time to lose, because only a second later, I spotted Appa who was just leaving the chasm. Pagan and I of course followed him immediately and had caught up with our friends shortly thereafter. They were glad to see me again, a feeling that was mutual, but the thought of Azula escaping, although this time it been more by luck than judgment, still continued to gnaw on my mind.

* * *

We continued to fly over the land for the rest of the day, until we eventually found a deserted beach in the late afternoon, which we decided would be our place for the night. After we had finished to set up the camp, we all sat together in a circle around the campfire.

Aang said: ''It's really nice that we can finally sit together in peace like this again. Almost like old times.''

Zuko remarked jokingly: ''Well, if you really want to feel like old times, I could chase you around for some time and try to capture you, then it would really be like old times.''

I almost choked on the water I was drinking when I had to laugh at this joke. The others laughed as well, with the exception of Katara. She stood up and walked away, her face filled with anger. Zuko jumped to his feet and followed her, he wanted to find out what exactly caused her strange behavior towards him.

''Do you really have to think about this, princeling?'', I thought and rolled my eyes.

When the two still hadn't returned after some time, we others packed our belongings together and retired into our tents. I was really satisfied with my new tent that I was carrying with me since my ''rebirth'', it served its purpose more than well. I was about to take my volcanic stone to sharpen my katanas, when I spotted Zuko, who had just returned to the camp.

I left my tent again and asked him: ''What was that between you and Katara back there?''

''Oh, she still does not trust me, blames me for what happened in Ba Sing Se, and strangely also for her mother's death, even though I don't even know what has happened there. Do you know it maybe? After all, you've been travelling with her way longer than I did.''

''I only know that her mother was killed by Fire Nation soldiers, but that's it.''

''Well, I was just on my way to Sokka, I wanted to ask him if he could tell me more about it.''

''Interesting ... you know what? I'm going with you, I want to know the whole story too.''

While we walked the few steps towards Sokka's tent, Zuko asked:

''Tell me: Do YOU trust me by now?''

I answered: ''Yes, I do. If you really had something against us in mind, you probably would have already done it. Also, I saw you fighting all the soldiers back at the Air Temple, with nothing but determination in your eyes. I trust you now that you really mean all your actions.''

Zuko clapped me on the shoulder and said: ''Thanks man, that means a lot to me.''

''Oh, come on, we are sons of the fire, we have to stick together.''

Zuko laughed, I laughed as well. Oh yes, I think this could be the beginning of a good friendship...

* * *

We entered Sokka's tent, but what awaited us in there took us both entirely by surprise: Rose petals were scattered everywhere on the tent's floor and many lit candles were standing in between, apparently Sokka had planned something for Suki.

''I never would have taken him for a romantic.'', I said in my thoughts, showing Sokka silent respect.

He however seemed unpleasantly surprised to see us, but of course didn't let his emotions show.

He asked: ''What are you guys doing here?''

Zuko said with a serious voice: ''We want to know more about your mother's death, I need to know why Katara is still this mad at me.''

After some initial skepticism, Sokka began to tell the story, but I for my part didn't learn anything new, everything he told I already had been told by Katara, back on the evening of my revelation to Team Avatar.

Zuko, on the other hand, listened attentively and, when Sokka had finished the story, asked: ''Can you remember any details of how the soldiers looked like?''

''Well, they had banners with a sea raven depicted on them.''

''The Southern Raiders!''

''And that helps us to what extent?'', I asked.

Zuko immediately replied: ''Now I can help Katara, so that she'll finally trust me!''

We left Sokka's tent again, I already had a hunch of what exactly Zuko was planning. He marched straight towards Katara's tent, which the young water bender was about to enter. When she spotted us, she snapped at Zuko:

''What do you want?''

''I know who killed your mother, and I can help you find him!''

Katara's eyes lit up suddenly, she looked at me as if she wanted to ask:

''Is that really true?''

I nodded, her gaze shifted back to Zuko: ''Alright!''

She grabbed his arm and started to drag him towards Aang. Once they had arrived at the Avatar's tent, Katara asked:

''Aang, could we borrow Appa?''

The young air bender crossed him arms and asked:

''Oh, do you want to abduct our dear Zuko on a trip now?''

I had to suppress my giggling, as Katara vigorously affirmed Aang's question. She told the young Avatar her intentions, but Aang was anything but thrilled:

''Don't go! Revenge is never a solution!''

For the first time ever, I dared to contradict the Avatar, simply because I had to. Revenge was most definitely a solution, at least for an Assassin. I interpreted Aang's philosophy as part of his air bender existence, which involved complete pacifism. I could completely accept it if he was following this certain path of life, but, as it was with every kind of path, this didn't necessarily applied to other people as well. Katara seemed to share my mindset, she said it was impossible to forgive the man who had killed her mother. Eventually Aang gave in and allowed Katara and Zuko to take Appa. However, before they were able to set off, Aang appealed to Katara one last time to think carefully about her next steps. She promised to do so, then we left, Katara and Zuko on Appa, I on Pagan, I had decided to join the two, as this seemed to me as quite the fitting mission for an Assassin and I wanted to help them.

* * *

Our journey led us to Whaletail Island, where the Southern Raiders currently were stationed. During our flight, Katara recounted a more detailed version of the story of her mother's death, once again reminding me of my own grief as well. Katara and I reached for necklace and medallion respectively at the same time and thought of those we had lost.

When Zuko noticed how visibly touched I was by Katara's story, he asked: ''What's the matter with you?''

''Oh, right, you don't know yet. I too have experienced this much suffering in my life.''

And so I told Zuko the story of my life. The death of my family, how I had found Pagan, my training as an Assassin and so on. Zuko was particularly shocked when I told of my family's execution by the hand of his father.

He shook his head and said: ''I mean, I always knew that my father was malicious, but I never would have thought of him to be that fiendish. I'm really glad that you're blaming me for anything, especially after all the things I've done myself in the past.''

I answered: ''Well, there is an old Assassin saying: ''All it takes is one bad day, to turn even the most peaceful man into a monster.'' You were turned, but eventually managed to revert the change.''

Zuko nodded and looked into the distance. I clearly saw it in his face that he was thinking about his past, just like me so often. The suffering, the tyranny that was destroying this world, it had to end! This pointless war had to be ended as soon as possible!

* * *

After a long flight, Pagan finally spotted a larger ship, the banner of the Southern Raiders blowing on top of its mast. Katara created a giant wave that swept the ship's entire crew clean from the deck into the ocean. Following this, the three of us boarded the ship and made our way to the captain's cabin. When we had found it only shortly after, Zuko kicked open the door, I stormed into the room, grabbed the captain's arm, twisted it to the back and placed one of my dagger on his throat with my other hand.

The mortally scared man looked at all three of us, but then Katara said: ''That's not him!''

What? But then where was the man we were looking for? There was only one logical way to find out: I pulled and twisted the man's arm even tighter, it already creaked a little, pressed the dagger's blade against his chin and spoke with a dark voice:

''Where is your predecessor?''

Still scared to death, the man answered immediately: ''Yon Rha? He retired four years ago, he now lives with his mother in a village not far from here.''

The man described the way to us, I whispered a low ''Thank you!'' in his ear and cut his throat! Zuko stared at the corpse in horror for a short moment, then he followed us as we left the cabin and the ship again. We set out to find the real murderer of Katara's mother.

* * *

Only a little later, we were already lying in wait near the village the captain had told us about. After some time, an elderly man came walking out of the village, Katara immediately said:

''That's him!''

I rose to my feet and said: ''Good, I will subdue him, you two come out of hiding once you can see that I have tied him up safely.''

They both nodded, I made my way down the small hill we had been hiding on. Under the cover of some trees and bushes, I sneaked up to the murderer. When I had reached a good position from which I was able to overlook the whole area, I took some leaves and made them rustle loudly to distract him. He fell for the ruse, I was able to sneak up on him without any effort. When he turned around again, he spotted me, but I didn't give him any time to react. I kicked both his legs away from under his body, he fell into the dust lengthways. I took one of my metal-reinforced ropes and tied his hands and feet together with it. As soon as I was finished, Katara and Zuko arrived on the scene.

Katara grabbed the old man's head, so that he looked into her eyes, and asked: ''Do you recognize me?''

At first, the old guy looked confused, but then nothing but pure fear appeared on his face, he recognized Katara and remembered the day he had killed her mother: An allegedly unknown source had revealed to him that there was only one last water bender at the Southern Water Tribe. Katara's mother had pretended to be this water bender and subsequently had been killed.

Katara shouted: ''My mother wasn't the water bender, I am!''

She bent water from a nearby puddle and formed it into sharp icicles, which she threateningly let hover in the air in front of the old man. He begged for mercy, but I had experienced this scenario so many times before in my life: His time was up! But to my biggest surprise, the icicles turned back into water some moments later. I looked at Katara in surprise, she had turned away. She said that the old man led such a miserable life, she could not kill such a man out of sheer revenge. He was already punished enough to continue living with all the shame that weighed on him and his soul. She then started walking back to Appa, Zuko following her.

I, on the other hand, felt a strange feeling of astonishment and incomprehension arise in my body. We had taken this long journey for nothing at all? No! I would not accept this! I noisily drew one of my katanas, shock and fear returned into the old man's eyes.

With a dark voice, I said: ''She might have spared you, but you still have to die! And I am the one who will do the deed!''

With a loud cry from the old man, I lunged out with the katana and cut his head clean off his shoulders! Blood spurted from the remains of the man's neck, bespattering my face and upper body.

'' _Anxi ba, ni zhege hundan!_ Rest in peace, you bastard!'', I said before I kicked the headless body into the dirt.

After that, I turned around, only to see the petrified shocked faces of Katara and Zuko.

I only said: ''I did what had to be done. His death was the will of the Spirits!''

The gazes of the two followed me, but they didn't budge. I didn't really want to wait for them, therefore I mounted Pagan, called to them: ''See you at the meeting point.'', and rose to the air with my dragon, heading towards our new meeting point: Ember Island.

* * *

A little later, we had reached our destination, a pier on an empty beach. We landed and realized that we were the first ones here. Therefore we waited until the others finally arrived on Appa. I was already able to make out from afar that the general sentiment seemed to be pretty bad.

As soon as the bison had landed, Aang approached me and said: ''Yulizan, Katara told me what happened. Why did you do that?''

''I had to do it, Aang. This man was nothing but a parasite to the world, his existence meant absolutely nothing, he was scum, his death was the will of the Spirits, he deserved it!''

Aang was visibly shocked by my words and said: ''Yulizan, I'm not sure if this will work with you like this ...''

I was completely flabbergasted! Did Aang really just say that?

''Do you mean that you don't want me to be part of the team anymore?''

''No, it's just ... your behavior, it's just ...''

I grabbed the young Avatar by the shoulders and said: ''Aang, I've told you and the others several times already in the past: You don't have to approve of what I'm doing, but if you want me to remain part of your team, you have to accept my actions and decisions, whether they meet your own moral standards or not!''

After I had let go of Aang's shoulders again, he scratched the back of his head for a second and then said:

''Well, I really don't know if we can continue like this...''

That was already enough for me to understand. Without another word, I turned around and walked away.

Aang called: ''Yulizan, wait!'', but I acted deaf.

I didn't have to listen to this! I wouldn't let myself be lectured by an air bender, no matter if he was the Avatar or not!

I called over my shoulder: ''Only talk to me again once you've thought about this whole matter!''

I walked over to Pagan, mounted him and told him to make circles over the island, I had to clear my mind. And I did just that. I distracted myself with thoughts of Ty Lee and our child, once again imagined the pleasant future, it calmed me and gave me new strength.

Of course I hoped that my friends would eventually come to their senses again, because disputes like this so close to maybe the most important time of this war could ultimately prove to be fatal for us all!

* * *

 **Next chapter: A menace from the darkness**


	39. Demon Slayer

After Pagan had circled the island for a longer while, I told him to land on one of the small beaches nearby. I had decided that I needed a different kind of distraction, therefore I would now swim a bit to calm down and cool my mind again.

The dragon subsequently landed on a beach from which I would be able to keep an eye on the house in which we had taken up quarters. Despite all quarrels, I still had to follow my mission and protect Aang, I could not let any emotion affect this whole affair.

I dismounted Pagan and told him: ''You can continue to fly around if you want to, but try to stay close to the island.'' The dragon nodded and rose to the air again.

I brought out my meditation mat, put it down on the warm sand, took off both my clothes and weapons and placed them next to the mat tidily, before eventually wading into the sea. The water's coldness did me good, it was nice and refreshing. I dove completely under the water, letting it cover my entire body, it was a really nice feeling.

As I was floating and swimming, I continued to think. I of course understood if the others did not share my philosophy, the Assassins' acts simply seemed mostly cruel to outsiders. Most people outside Fire Nation abhorred violence and always tried to find a peaceful solution to all problems. But what if peaceful methods weren't enough? Should one let the world fall into endless chaos, just so that one does not have to perform any supposedly morally bad deeds? No! One should always try to do everything that lies within the power of the individual to prevent war and suffering in the world! The Assassins have taught this way since the order's inception, without us the world would have fallen into the abyss of darkness much earlier already. By wiping out the people who harm this world, we make this world a better place! The man who had killed Katara's and Sokka's mother deserved to die! He had killed an innocent young woman in the name of a mindless ideology, he had taken the mother of two children and presumably had committed even more atrocities of this kind in the course of time. I thought of his face, it had been the face of a broken man. He may have regretted his many misdeeds over the years, but that didn't undo them! Furthermore, if the story of his life after leaving the Southern Raiders was really true, then his life had already been pure hell on earth. Therefore, I had basically done him a service and released him from this physical and mental suffering. Now his soul was burning in hell forever for his terrible deeds, and that was good! Nobody should suffer and be judged like this on earth, the Spirits alone are to decide over the fate of a human's soul!

Suddenly, I heard that strange voice in my head, which I had heard so many times before already, again, but this time it sounded even clearer and also much darker than before:

It said: ''When the empire falls ... you will completely turn into a monster!''

All of a sudden, ice-cold shivers began to run down my spine! So that was the complete sentence? What was that supposed to mean? The falling empire could only mean the end of the war and Fire Lord Ozai's reign of terror. But the fact that I would turn into a real monster? I couldn't and didn't want to believe that! Because until now, one thought had always remained and dominated in my mind: Despite the fact that I was doing so many things that were so difficult to bear morally, I had always kept my mind and my sense of justice and peace! I had never succumbed to the corrupt delusion that had stricken the rest of the Fire Nation. And it would remain like this! I would kill both Azula and Ozai, sooner or later! After that, my soul would finally be able to find peace, I would finally have accomplished my mission! No! I won't turn into a monster!

* * *

I emerged from the water with a deep breath, rubbed my face with both my hands and then looked at my reflection on the water surface: My last haircut was already dating back quite the long time, my dark blond hair was almost on my shoulders already, I also could have used a shave, as there was quite the thick beard on my lower face. But now that I thought about it: Actually, it didn't look that bad on me, it gave my appearance something that spoke of experience, it underlined my status as a warrior. I decided to at least take care of my hair, but I would leave the beard as it was for the time being.

My eyes wandered over to our house, it was the Royal Family's vacation cottage, therefore I had been quite skeptical when Zuko had suggested it as our new hideout, but he had insured me:

''This is the last place where my father would look for something.''

From the house, my gaze eventually moved back to the beach, where I spotted Aang, Katara and Zuko, who seemed to be waiting for me. Since I wanted to know what exactly they wanted from me, I swam back to the shore, stepped out of the water, dried myself up and slipped back into my clothes. Zuko's eyes widened in shock when he saw all the scars on my body.

Once I was fully equipped again, I asked: ''What do you want?''

Aang began to speak: ''We have talked extensively about you and your behavior. And we have come to the conclusion that...''

I saw the struggle in the Avatar's face as he tried to find the fitting words.

''...you're just too good of a friend and an important member of our team for that we could lose you just like that. That's why we decided to accept your mindset, even though we really don't like it. But we still ask you to hold yourself back a little, at least in our presence, and not act as brutal anymore. Would that be alright for you?''

I saw the anxious faces of my three friends, I smiled and said: ''Of course.''

As soon as the words had left my mouth, I saw the tension and anxiety in the three faces easing off, they all seemed really glad that we had been able to reach an agreement. I packed up the rest of things, then I started following my friends back to the house.

While walking, I slapped Aang and Zuko on the shoulders and asked: ''Did you really think that we would break apart because of such a small bagatelle?''

Both shook their heads, I laughed: ''There we go! And now I would really like to see how far the two of you are with your training.'' The two didn't need to be told twice! They rushed forward, heading for the house, leaving Katara and me behind.

The young water bender looked me in the eyes and said: ''You know, for all these years I have longed for revenge on this man. But when I saw him, I just couldn't do it. Had it not been for you, if you hadn't killed him, my soul probably would never have been able to find true peace. But now he is dead, and my mother has finally received the justice she deserves. Thank you.''

She stopped and hugged me for a short moment. I was surprised, I really had not expected such a change of heart from her in this matter. She released the hug again and smiled. I smiled back, then we continued our way towards to the house.

* * *

Shortly afterwards, I sat on the steps of the house with Katara and Toph, while Aang and Zuko were practicing some advanced fire bending techniques on the courtyard in front of the house. I was once again remembered of my own training, although it of course had been much more complex and difficult, yet the practice had been very similar.

As I was sitting there, it was one of the rare times when I wasn't wearing my hood, and nibbled on a piece of bread, Katara said:

''Oh, by the way, Yulizan, what I wanted to tell you for quite some time now: I think your beards suits you very well.''

I rubbed my chin with my hand and said: ''Thank you. I thought that it underlined my warrior's will, that's what I let it grow out a bit longer. But I will cut my head hair soon.''

Suddenly Katara stood up, sat down behind me and started fidgeting with my hair.

''Um ... what are you doing with my hair?''

Katara didn't answer, but instead continued to work on my hair. I felt her taking some strands of the longer mane and moved them together. Was it what I thought it was?

After a short time, Katara said: ''Done!''

I immediately reached behind my head and felt a long ponytail hanging down my neck.

I turned around to face Katara and asked: ''Really? You think this is funny or something?''

''Yes, kind of...'', was all Katara was able to say, before she couldn't hold back her laugh any longer.

I felt pretty awkward, I was glad that Toph wasn't able to see me like this because of her blindness.

I stood up and said: ''Enough of this! Something has to change!''

I entered the house and looked for a room with a mirror. After I had found one fairly fast, I took my bowl and filled it with water. After that, I whipped out one of my daggers, positioned myself in front of the mirror, untied the ponytail so that my hair was falling onto my shoulders naturally again, dunked the dagger's blade in the water and started cutting my hair. I trimmed it to about the same length it had when I had first left the monastery all those months ago. When I eventually looked at the result in the mirror, I was more than satisfied. The short hair emphasized the beard even better now. I also noticed that I was now looking pretty similar to my father in his youth, as he had worn a similar beard when he had been around my age. I put my dagger away again and disposed of the old hair and the water, before stepping outside the house again.

Aang and Zuko were still occupied with their training, Katara immediately noticed my new haircut. When I saw the slight look of disappointment in her face, I only said: ''Sorry.'', while quietly grinning and chuckling to myself. After that, I sat down on the steps again and continued to watch my two friends during their training.

* * *

In the afternoon, things changed quite a bit: Sokka and Suki returned to the house from a walk, Sokka was holding a rolled-up poster in his hands. He showed it to us, it was an announcement for a stage play that was reported to recreate the story of our team. We all were very skeptical about this, especially when Zuko said that this group of actors, the so-called Ember Island Players, were more infamous than famous. I too had my doubts about this matter, I wasn't really fond of acting to begin with, but a play in which I myself might possibly appear as a character? I wasn't happy with this mental image at all!

But luckily I didn't have to make a decision on this myself, because shortly afterwards a big bird came flying towards us. It was a messenger hawk with ice-white feathers, these birds were bred and used by the Assassins to deliver messages between members of the Order all over the world. The hawk placed a scroll on the ground in front of me, before almost immediately flying away again. I picked up the scroll and read it. It had been personally written by Lao Zhu:

 _ **Master Yulizan,**_

 _ **please excuse this disturbance in your mission, but we have troubles that cannot wait. According to reports from some of our scouts, it is very likely that the dark-light demon Wilo Hazd has escaped the guard of our shamans and is now wandering through the Fire Nation. We have already sent out several brothers and sisters to find and kill the demon, but no one has succeeded. Now we ask you, as one of the Order's best fighters, to track down and eliminate the demon.**_

 _ **May you walk in the shadows**_

 _ **Lao Zhu**_

As soon as I had finished reading, I got goose bumps. Wilo Hazd was free? This was bad! This demon had been part of Grim Bazor's entourage, the army that centuries ago had tried to wipe out the human race. Wilo Hazd had been one of few demons to survive the battles, yet the Old Assassins had still been able to capture him and lock him up in an inter-dimensional dungeon. This ''rift between the worlds'' was permanently protected and reinforced by shamans who were dealing with the forces and powers of the Spirit World. But now something bad must have occurred, so that the demon had been able to escape his prison.

I had seen drawings in ancient scriptures, this demon was a dangerous creature! Although his appearance was remotely similar to a human, Wilo Hazd was a creature of light and shadow, his body was black and white in color, his head slightly elongated, with pointed horns. His nature was unpredictable, his character constantly changed between maniacal crazy and mysteriously silent. His weapon was also quite unusual, it was a parasol, similar to those carried by women at festivities, with an extendable blade at the top. But the demon's greatest strength was his control over light and darkness. He was always clever enough to confuse his opponents and then flee most fights, because even though he was a demon, he was more like a coward who didn't like fighting and most of the time tried to avoid it.

I of course had to take advantage of this, I had to try to get the better of his confusion shticks, in order to engage him in a direct fight, in which I then would definitely have the advantage over him!

* * *

I told my friends what was written in the scroll and that I of course immediately had to perform this mission. Everybody understood, except Sokka, he grumbled:

''You don't want to watch this stage play?''

''Even if I could: No!'', I replied. ''But could you please help me with something for a second? You too, Zuko.''

Both guys followed me into the house, I needed their help buckling on my armor plates. Even though I most definitely wouldn't be able to intimidate and scare a demon of this kind, the sight of his former leader would probably still disarray him!

When I was completely clad in my black demon armor once again, I left the house and whistled for Pagan. The dragon came flying immediately and landed in the courtyard.

I mounted him and said to my friends: ''Don't worry, if everything goes well, we'll probably be back by tomorrow. Take care, and enjoy the play!''

After these words, Pagan rose to the air and we began to make our way to the village of which Lao Zhu had written in the scroll, where Wilo Hazd was reportedly last seen.

* * *

When we reached our destination, it was already starting to get dark.

''Not good!'', I thought to myself, ''he definitely got the advantage in the darkness, we have to be very careful!''

Pagan landed in the completely abandoned village. Although most of the houses were still intact, they showed clear signs of fighting and hasty escapes. I put on my demon mask and told Pagan to fly away, this was a battle I had to fight alone!

As soon as my dragon friend had risen to the air, I heard strange noises in one of the houses not far away from my position. I drew both my katanas and looked in all directions nervously. Through the eye slits in my mask, I observed the whole area, I was ready for anything!

Suddenly, I heard a loud fiendish and cackling laugh! I turned towards the direction it had came from and spotted the pair of bright white eyes that was now emerging from the shadows of one of the houses. There he was: Wilo Hazd, the dark-light demon! In his hands, he held his parasol. He began to slowly walk towards me and said, with a sneering voice in the language of the demons:

''Dè tha sinn an seo? Fiù 's tuilleadh creach gun urrainn dhomh a' tarraing san dubhar?'' (Well, what do we have here? Even more prey that I can pull into the shadows?)

Unimpressed by the demon's taunting, I replied, also in the language of the demons:

''Tha mi an seo gus iomlan sibh le Grim Bazor, Wilo!'' (I'm here to reunite you with Grim Bazor, Wilo!)

The demon uttered his cackling laugh again and said:

''Do gòrach murtairean! Chan urrainn dhut casg a chur air mo teicheadh, mar sin bidh thu orm nach urrainn a mharbhadh!'' (You foolish Assassins! You were not able to stop my escape, therefore you will not to be able kill me either!)

''If only you knew!'', I thought to myself.

The demon laughed once again and called: ''Bo truagh! Coinneachadh ri mo chumhachd gus fios!'' (You pitiful boy! Prepare to witness my power!)

The demon conjured up an orb of pure darkness in his left hand and hurled it at me! I knew that I wasn't fast enough to dodge this attack of concentrated darkness, therefore I used the only technique effective in this situation: I created a large white fire and hurled it towards the dark orb! The bright flames hit the darkness, enveloped and eventually suffocated it! With a big grin behind my mask, my eyes wandered back to Wilo, who was staring at the scene in front of him compeltely flabbergasted.

I called: ''Chan eil teicheadh idir, Wilo! Aghaidh do dàn!'' (There is no escape for you, Wilo! Face your destiny!), and rushed forward, directly towards the demon!

He reacted far too late, as he was about to yank up his parasol and extend the blade, my katanas had already impaled him through his black and white chest! Wilo realized that I had defeated him and cried out in pain as his body suddenly began to gleam with a strange dark glow. I quickly pulled both katanas out of the demon's body and ran away a few meters, since I knew exactly what was about to happen: The demon was defeated, therefore his existence would now be pulled into hell! Wilo's loud screams echoed throughout the village as his body slowly began to disintegrate, his skin burned, his bones were crushed, until eventually only a small heap of ashes remained on the ground.

I of course knew what I had to do now: I walked over to the pile of ashes, took one of my daggers, cut a tiny wound into the skin of my ring finger, at the spot where my tattoo was, and sprinkled some ash crumbs on it. With this, I showed the Spirits the respect that came with killing a demon, while also informing the Order of my success this way.

After I had finished the little ritual, I let the ashes be, whistled for Pagan, mounted him and we started heading back to Ember Island. As I had thought, it had been a fairly simply mission.

* * *

By dawn, we had reached the island again, our friends were already awake, Aang and Zuko were already training in the courtyard again. When Pagan and I had landed, the others immediately came running towards us and asked about my mission. I of course told them about Wilo and the pretty quick and one-sided fight. In return, my friends told me about the disaster that had been the stage play they had watched in the evening. When I asked them how I had been portrayed as a character, they told me that I hadn't been part of the story at all.

''Good! I still have my anonymity, I'm still a single haulm in the cornfield.'', I thought to myself, using the metaphor my master had always used during my training of how to disappear in crowds of people.

Now everything was in perfect order again! I had been able to consolidate my role in our team, another demon had been destroyed and Aang was making good progress with his training. Now the only thing we'd have to do was waiting for the arrival of the comet. Then it would finally be time! My mission would come to an end! The war would be ended! Peace would return!

But there still were a few obstacles waiting for us on our path...

* * *

 **Next chapter: Where is Aang? (Sozin's Comet, Part 1)**


	40. The Plot Thickens (Comet, Part 1)

Only three days were still left until the appearance of Sozin's Comet, but our general mood was still relatively relaxed. Aang continued to train his fire bending abilities, now with slowly increasing determination. I saw that he had made an immense amount of progress and was more than pleased with this. If now only he would be able to control the Avatar State as well, then nobody would stand in his way anymore.

However, I also worried about two things: On the one hand, I wasn't sure if Aang was still capable of entering the Avatar State after the injury Azula had inflicted on him during the battle in Ba Sing Se, since I hadn't seen him activating the State since that moment, on the other hand, I wondered how his eventual fight against the Fire Lord would go, especially towards the inevitable end. If he actually was able to defeat Ozai, would he kill him? The air benders' mentality, which he had mentioned again and again in recent times, basically denied that. Besides: The desire to kill Ozai myself was still seething inside my body and soul, simply because I had sworn to do so all those years ago and I had never broken a vow in my life before.

I was really curious what the near future had in stock for us, but as long as we were still in the ''calm before the storm'', we should make the best of it and enjoy the time that was left. And that was exactly what we were planning to do!

* * *

The only one who didn't seem to share our good mood was Zuko. He constantly urged Aang to put even more power and energy into his fire bending to further improve it.

I shook my head and thought: ''Leave the boy alone for one second, he has to fight what might be the most important battle in history in a few days and you put even more pressure on him, that will get you nowhere.''

As I watched the two continue their training, Katara exited the house with some watermelon juice for everyone. I immediately took a cup and sipped the sweet, cool drink, it added immensely to the relaxation. Aang decided to take a break from training as well and came over to get a drink. After a couple of minutes, Sokka suggested that we should all go to the beach for a little fun. Everyone but Zuko agreed and set off. Before I followed the others, I ran into my room in the house and fetched my mandolin, to take it to the beach with me. Once there, everyone immediately plunged themselves into individual activities: Katara bent herself a small ice floe and then used her bending to glide across the incoming waves. Suki bathed in the sun, while Sokka, Aang and Toph started to build sand sculptures. I sat down on a rock that was close to the water, looked out onto the wide sea and eventually began to play my mandolin.

My maternal grandfather had been a sailor, my mother had spent the first years of her life on his ship. In my childhood, my grandfather had often taken me to the harbor and once even on a trip with his ship. It had been a really nice and also important experience, I had learned a lot about seafaring and the life aboard a ship. But what I remembered the most were the beautiful sailor songs, or ''shanties'', as the sailors themselves called them, I still knew some of them well enough so that I was able to sing and play them on my mandolin. Most shanties were about the beauty of the oceans and the infinite freedom that one was able to feel while sailing them.

I softly began to whistle the tune of a familiar song to find the rhythm, before I eventually started to play and sing:

 ** _No king shall order us our path,_**

 ** _We follow the oceans, and just them alone!_**

 ** _No lord is our monarch, no land our prison!_**

 ** _The sea and the sea alone will be our judge!_**

 ** _No river shall enslave us, and if they outlaw us_**

 ** _The sea is our refuge, with all of her power!_**

 ** _No one here will wear the kings' colors,_**

 ** _only our flag blows at the top of the mast!_**

 ** _We sing the Songs, the Songs of Freedom!_**

 ** _The world shall hear us, we are not alone!_**

 ** _We sing the Songs, the Songs of Freedom!_**

 ** _The world shall hear us, come and sing with us!_**

 ** _Stand up, because out there, you are a free man as well!_**

 ** _All around us nothing but the sea..._**

 ** _We take our destiny in our hands together!_**

 ** _Wherever the winds will lead us..._**

I liked the words of this song very much, they spoke of the same kind of freedom we Assassins also lived by. I continued to sit there on the rock, singing and playing the mandolin, my thoughts slowly wandering off.

* * *

But suddenly and out of nowhere, my reverie was abruptly broken, as something atrocious happened: Zuko stormed onto the beach and mid-run hurled fireballs at no one other than Aang!

''That lousy little traitor! I knew it!'', I thought angrily while practically throwing my mandolin to the ground and started running after Zuko who had begun to chase Aang all over the beach.

But ultimately, I turned out as the faster one, I caught with him from behind, threw myself forward with both arms reaching for Zuko's midsection, effectively dragging him to the ground. I grabbed his right arm, twisted it backwards and rammed one of my daggers into the sand, only inches away from his face!

''Could you please explain to me what you were trying do there?'', I yelled at him.

His face slightly contorted with pain, Zuko said: ''Hey man, stop it, I just wanted to test him and his abilities in a situation of stress!''

I let go of his arm and said with a slight hint of cynicism in my voice: ''Well, mission failed, I would say.''

Zuko stood up, moved his arm a little to get the feeling back into it and said: ''I'm sorry, but I think it's quite reckless of you all to stay this calm and carefree with the comet's arrival only a few days away now.''

Aang approached us again and said: ''Well, there is something you don't know yet: I intend to not face the Fire Lord until after the comet is gone again.''

Zuko and I both said in perfect unison: ''What?''

Aand continued: ''Yes, because, first of all, the Fire Nation has already practically won the war with the conquest of Ba Sing Se, and secondly, I think that I should completely master the fire before eventually fighting Ozai.''

While these were more than plausible reasons, I still could not shake off the feeling that the comet's arrival was part of something bigger, therefore I wasn't sure if Aang's decision would really be the right thing to do.

Zuko confirmed my suspicions shortly after, telling us what he had learned at one of the Fire Nation's military meetings some time ago: Ozai was planning to use the comet's power to completely burn down the entire Earth Kingdom! Then, with no kind of resistance whatsoever remaining, he could rule the entire world without anybody be able to stop him.

I felt ice-cold shivers running up and down my spine at the thought of this horrible image. Completely burning down the largest country in the world? That really would be the definite end of the world as we knew it, and no one, not even we Assassins, would be able to do anything about that. No! We simply could not allow this to happen!

I agreed with Zuko when I said to Aang: ''Unfortunately, you have no other choice. You have to face the Fire Lord now, otherwise there will be no world left for you to safe.''

Aang looked at the ground, uncertainty all over his face, saying that he really wasn't sure if he had everything it would take to defeat the Fire Lord. But we as a group were once again able to give him back his motivation, by saying that we would help him and stand by his side all the time, no matter what would happen.

We all formed a circle, standing there arm-in-arm, Aang said: ''One for all!'', we answered: ''And all for one!''

So we were all ready to hurl ourselves into what would most likely be the decisive and final battle! I of course thought about the revenge for my family, in now only a few days, I would finally get it!

* * *

Later that day, Zuko taught Aang the special technique of how to redirect lightning, invented by his uncle General Iroh. I thought of this as the right decision, as Aang would never be able to learn how to bend his own lightning in the short amount of time he had left.

While watching Aang training throughout the rest of the day, especially during another practice in which he was to fight a doll that was supposed to represent the Fire Lord, I clearly noticed that he was mentally fighting with himself, mainly because Zuko had told him that he had to kill an opponent as dangerous as Ozai to completely defeat him.

After he had finished his training for the day, I took the young Avatar aside and talked to him.

I said: ''Aang, I clearly noticed today throughout the entire day that you have spent a lot of time thinking about the fact that you'll most likely have to kill the Fire Lord to defeat him.''

Aang nodded and replied: ''Yes, it simply isn't part of an air bender's philosophy to decide over life and death like this. The monks always taught us that all life is sacred and should not be harmed.''

''I of course can completely understand you, I accept your attitude to life as you have accepted mine. That's why I want to make the following proposition: I just know that you will somehow be able to defeat the Fire Lord, you're the Avatar. The Spirits have always told of moments like this: The Avatar is the Highest Peacekeeper, he or she alone can maintain balance in this world. You will find a way to defeat the Fire Lord, it is your destiny. But, to come back to my proposition, let me tell you: You don't have to kill the Fire Lord once you have defeated him, I am going to do it!''

Aang immediately wanted to respond, but I cut him short: ''Please spare me with any kind of lecture, Aang, and let me finish. You have to understand: I just have to do this! That man has killed my entire family right before my very eyes, I just have to kill him, I vowed to myself to do so back then, and an Assassin never breaks a vow. Besides, this is the only way to give myself and my family in the afterlife the peace that we deserve. So please, I ask you to accept my decision.''

Aang thought about what I had just said for a long time, before finally saying: ''So ... I really don't have to kill the Fire Lord?''

''No, you have to fight and defeat him, but you don't have to kill him, I will shoulder this burden.''

''Very well then. The monks have also said time and again that inner peace is perhaps the most important feeling of every human being. If you really think that you are going to achieve your inner peace with this deed, then so be it.''

I hugged the young Avatar for a short moment and said: ''Thank you for your insight.''

Aang smiled and then asked: ''But how am I supposed to defeat the Fire Lord? I don't think that my current bending abilities will be enough.''

''That is something that only you alone can figure out. Turn your gaze inward, explore your Avatar spirit, then you will find a solution.''

''Thank you, Yulizan.''

Aang smiled again, before leaving the courtyard with Momo, who was sitting on his shoulder, probably to walk around the island for some time. I knew that he would now go on a journey into his soul to find a solution, one should better not disturb him during this. I looked after him until he had disappeared from my view, then I returned to the others inside the house.

* * *

The next morning, we all packed our things together, it was time to leave the beach house and start with the battle preparations.

While I was in my room, tying up my equipment, Katara suddenly entered and asked: ''Yulizan, have you seen Aang? We can't find him anywhere!''

What? That couldn't be! He had just taken a walk around the island last night, or hadn't he? I immediately packed everything together as quick as I could, then I helped the others with the search.

In the end, it was Sokka who discovered something: on the beach, there were footprints in the sand which eventually led into the sea.

Just how had Aang disappeared? Both his glider and Appa were still in the house and on the island, therefore it hadn't happened by air. He also couldn't be in the Spirit World, because otherwise we probably would have found his body somewhere by now.

We decided to split up and search the entire island. I instructed Pagan to scout the island from the air and keep both eyes out for Aang, while on the ground, with the help of my good detection skills and techniques, I would do everything in my power to solve the mystery of the Avatar's disappearance.

But even after countless hours of endless searching, we didn't have even the slightest trace of Aang, Pagan hadn't found anything from the air either.

After we had all got together in front of the house again, Zuko suddenly said: ''You know, I know somebody who might be able to help us...''

''Who?'', the rest of us asked with one voice.

''A bounty huntress named June from the Earth Kingdom.''

I flinched involuntarily! June of all people should help us to find Aang? Oh dear! May as well expect the worst.

With a pretty tense feeling in my mind, I mounted Pagan shortly after, as we began to make our way towards the Earth Kingdom.

In my mind, I prayed to the Spirits that everything would go smoothly and that June wouldn't put me in some kind of precarious situation ... once again!

* * *

 **Next chapter: In the name of the Order! (Sozin's Comet, Part 2)**


	41. Final Preparations (Comet, Part 2)

As we made our way towards the Earth Kingdom, I feverishly thought about how I could avoid June putting me in any kind of bad light in front of my friends. The risk that June would reveal just a nuance of our past escapades was very big, I absolutely needed to prevent that from happening, otherwise I would lose all credit with my friends, and sooner or later Ty Lee would probably also learn of it and I was sure that she would never forgive me for those indiscretions.

So what could I do? One of the first options I could think of was disguising myself so that June would not even recognize me, but how should I explain this charade to my friends? Since I wasn't able to think of anything decent on the fly, I decided to calm down for the time being and make the final decision after we had reached our destination.

* * *

Our destination eventually turned out to be a tavern in a relatively uninhabited area of the Earth Kingdom, about a day's journey from Ba Sing Se.

We landed and dismounted the animals, now I had to translate my pretty vague plan into action if I wanted to uphold my relationship with Ty Lee. As the rest of our team began to make their way to the tavern, I did not take a single step away the landing spot of Appa and Pagan.

The others of course noticed this, Sokka called: ''What now? Are you coming or not?''

I said: ''Just go, I'll stay here. I don't like taverns like this, I've had some bad experiences in the past.''

That wasn't even a lie, a few years I involuntarily had gotten involved in a tavern brawl, during which I was whacked over the head with a wooden stool, with some of its splinters giving me two small scars on the right cheek and the edge of the lip in the process.

Not that this was a real valid reason, but apparently it still was enough to convince my friends, because without any further words, they entered the tavern.

As soon as the building's door closed, I turned to Pagan immediately, took out some items that I had packed for emergencies of this kind from the bag that was tied around his neck, and then told the dragon:

''Quick, rise back to the air and camouflage yourself, June knows that you belong to me, she must not see you!''

''And what are you going to do?''

''I'll be fine, just stay close and in the air, this shouldn't take too long.''

Pagan seemed a little unsure, but still obeyed and rose to the air.

I disappeared into some nearby bushes and put on the emergency equipment I had taken out from Pagan's bag: A wide black cloak, big enough to cover all my weapons, and a small tin filled with black cream-like paint. I took a few drops and daubed the upper half of my face with it. After that, I took my new jet-black scarf, which was part of my new robe, and pulled it over the lower half of my face. I looked at my work in a nearby puddle, it had been successful, I was entirely swathed in black. I turned around, went over to the tavern and entered it while trying not to attract any attention.

* * *

I took a look around inside the building, which to my surprise was much more quiet and filled with less people than I had thought, and eventually spotted my friends at the other end of the room. June was standing right next to them. They all talked for some minutes, then started to walk towards the door again. I moved into a dark corner of the room so that they wouldn't notice me. After they had all left the tavern, I waited for another minute before eventually exiting the building myself, following them.

Only a few moments after stepping outside again and spotting my friends near our animals' landing place, I saw June's shirshu running towards her. Damn, I had completely forgotten about that beast! It had been my luck that it hadn't waited right in front of the tavern or anything like that, otherwise it would have most likely recognized the smell of Pagan and me.

Zuko now held Aang's glider staff in front of the animal's snout, it sniffed the tool for a brief moment, but then laid down on the ground and covered its head and snout with its paws.

I heard Sokka saying: ''What does this mean?''

June replied: ''It means that your friend does not exist!''

What? What was that supposed to mean, Aang did not exist? Where the hell was the young Avatar? My hope to find him in time for the comet's arrival slowly began to fade, my friends seemed to feel the same way.

After a couple of minutes, Zuko said that the only person, other than the Avatar, who could be on a par with Ozai, was his uncle Iroh as the Fire Lord's brother. But there was one problem: He didn't know where his uncle was at the moment, since he had not seen or talked with him since Iroh had been incarcerated for his ''act of treason'' in Ba Sing Se.

June said: ''Do you have anything with you that belongs to your uncle? Maybe Nyla can at least find him.''

Zuko nodded and took out a sandal from his bag. As soon as the shirshu had picked up the scent of the piece of footwear, it immediately rushed away! The others ran over to Appa and rose to the air, I waited for a short moment, until they were away far enough, then I whistled for Pagan and began to chase after my friends and June with the shirshu.

* * *

In the air, I took an old piece of cloth and wiped the black paint from my face, the entire masquerade had ultimately proved to be unnecessary, but that didn't bother me at all at this moment. I took off the cloak and put it back into Pagan's neck bag, the scarf I of course kept in my collar.

We followed June all night and the whole next day, and over time I slowly began to realize where the trail of Zuko's uncle was leading us.

My guess eventually turned out to be correct once again, when in the evening I spotted the walls of the once great city of Ba Sing Se in the distance.

The shirshu eventually stopped not far from the Outer Wall, the trail must have ended.

As soon as June and her animal had set off again, Pagan landed next to our friends.

When they noticed us, Zuko immediately asked: ''Where the hell have you been all this time?''

''I'm sorry, but the bounty huntress just couldn't know I was with you, our paths had crossed a few times in the past already and ... I'd rather not talk about that...''

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sokka trying his best to stifle his laugh.

''What? Our great and mighty warrior, who can make mincemeat out of the entire Fire Nation army, has lost to a girl?'', was all he was able to utter before he wasn't able to hold himself back anymore and began to literally roll around on the ground, laughing like there was no tomorrow.

I did not feel the need to respond, by this time he should know himself that we had no more time for ridiculousness like this.

Katara seemed to agree with me, she said: ''Cut it out, Sokka! Make yourself useful and help us set up the camp!''

Sokka wiped his face and, still giggling, began to help. After a short while, our camp was set up.

My friends planned to enter the city the next day and find Zuko's uncle. I settled for this plan as well and fell asleep in my tent shortly thereafter.

* * *

But only a few hours later, I woke up again, after I suddenly had felt a big increase in the heat concentration in our vicinity. I jumped to my feet and immediately saw the cause: Our camp was surrounded by a large circle-like wall of fire! The others were already up and combat-ready, prepared for the worst! I grabbed my katanas and took my position at my friends' side, ready for battle!

A few moments later, the fire began to clear, but none of us had expected what actually waited behind the flames: No soldiers or anything like that, just four old men.

I recognized all four of them immediately, they were Pakku, Jeong Jeong, Bumi and Piandao!

I immediately sheathed my katanas and dropped to one knee!

My friends stared at me in confusion, and also continued to do so as I got up and walked towards the four men.

I stopped in front of them, tapped my chest with my fist and said with an obsequious tone in my voice:

''Greetings, brothers, Masters!''

All four did the same gesture and said: ''Greetings, Master Yulizan!''

Meanwhile, Katara and Sokka had approached and greeted the men as well. However, Zuko and Toph still were rooted to the spot they had stood in the entire time, until Toph eventually found her voice again and asked:

''Could somebody please explain to me what exactly is going on here?''

Katara thereupon introduced the earth bender and Zuko to all four men and recapitulated the adventures we had experienced with them. At the end of her story, however, her eyes wandered over to me, she said:

''The only thing I don't understand is what Yulizan has to do with all this. Why do you call them ''brothers'' and ''masters''? I mean, you only interacted with them very barely, if at all.''

Determined, I took a step forward and said with an equally determined voice:

''Well, I think it is time for some clarifications. All four men standing right here in front of us are members of the Assassin Order, just like me. However, shortly after their appointments to become Grand Masters, they intended to split off the main order to have more freedom for their activities and missions. The Assassins' leadership eventually allowed them to do so, the Order of the White Lotus, of which all four of the masters here are members, came into being. As you can see, I've always used my connections on our travels to pull some strings and spare us potential problems this way. I was able to persuade Grand Master Pakku to teach you the arts of water bending, Katara. Through Grand Master Jeong Jeong, I was able to make it clear to Aang that he wasn't ready to learn fire bending back when we first encountered the Grand Master. And the Grand Masters Bumi and Piandao also always acted in the name of the Order and followed the Codex. But the perhaps most important thing you don't know yet: The leader of the White Lotus, the Grand Lotus, is none other than Grand Master Iroh, your uncle, Zuko.''

My friends were visibly shocked by the sheer mass of new knowledge.

I asked the Grand Masters: ''If you don't mind my asking, Masters: What brings you here, to Ba Sing Se?''

''The Grand Lotus has summoned us here.''

''Grand Master Iroh is here too?''

''Yes, he is currently staying in our camp.''

''That is very convenient, we had been searching for him for the last days. Would you please do us the honor and lead us to your camp?''

''Of course. Just follow us.''

The Grand Masters turned around and began to walk towards the wall. Me and my friends, who still seemed to try and process all the new information, followed them.

As we walked, Grand Master Bumi recounted how he had managed to free himself from his prison in Omashu during the eclipse and retake the city in the process. I nodded contentedly, that was the Assassins' mentality: Never give up, then any problem, any enemy, could be defeated.

* * *

Some time later, we reached the camp of the White Lotus. While the others decided to go back to sleep, Zuko waited in front of his uncle's tent to apologize to him for his betrayal.

I had given him some words of advice earlier: ''If you are really and truly sorry, then he will forgive you. One might not notice it right away, but Assassins are very emotional and understanding people.''

I laid down in my tent shortly afterwards and fell asleep contentedly, knowing that with all the other Assassins by our side, we had far better chances of surviving the now imminent final battle.

* * *

The next morning, all of us, including myself, my friends, and the members of the White Lotus met in the largest tent in the camp and held a council of war.

Zuko told Iroh that he was the only one able to stop Ozai, now that Aang had disappeared. But Iroh said that this was not the right decision, as it would only be seen as fratricide for power in the history books. The Avatar alone was destined to defeat the Fire Lord, so the will of the Spirits said, so the Assassins taught it since their foundation.

Then Iroh said: ''Nephew, I can now tell you that you have finally restored your honor completely and that the Spirits have declared it your destiny to ascend the throne of our land, to lead it into a new age, an age of peace and glory.''

After that, Iroh turned to me: ''Master Yulizan.''

I stood up and began to speak: ''Grand Master Iroh is right. As the Avatar, Aang is the only one able to defeat the Fire Lord, once and for all. However, we were faced with the problem that Aang, as an air bender, has an aversion to killing, as every form of life was sacred to the air benders and it was never in their nature to harm any of it. However, seeing as he's the Avatar, the Highest Peacekeeper, I know that he will be able to defeat the Fire Lord without killing him. How exactly I do not know, but I'm sure Aang will find a way. Here's where I come into play: Even though Aang won't kill the Fire Lord, I have to do it. Four years ago, on the day my family met their deaths at the hands of the Fire Lord, I have vowed that one day I would kill the Fire Lord for all the evil he had done! And if an Assassin makes a vow, he must try everything in his power to achieve it, otherwise he sins against the Spirits. After Aang's fight with the Fire Lord, I will travel there and kill the Fire Lord. The same goes for Azula. She also is to blame for all the suffering that has almost destroyed this world, she must die as well. I will kill her and make sure that you can take your rightful place as ruler of our great country, Zuko.''

After I had finished my speech, I sat down again and we all discussed what to do next: I would travel to the Fire Nation capital to prevent Azula's coronation as the new Fire Lord and finally kill her, my friends would try to fight the Fier Nation's airship fleet and help Aang if necessary, and the White Lotus would try to free Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation's iron grip.

* * *

For the rest of the day, we were all occupied with battle preparations. I refined most of my equipment once again, even though I was sure that I wouldn't need any weapons other than my fire bending, which would be strengthened massively by the comet. I would also go without my armor plates, they would probably hinder me more than they would help me.

As Zuko walked past me once, I asked him: ''Do you hold it against me?''

''What?''

''Well, the fact that I have to kill your sister and your father.''

''No, I don't hold it against you. They never were much of a family to me anyway. I've always had my mother and now my uncle. But I'd like to ask you for one favor: Make Azula suffer, as hard as you can!''

''I'll try my best.''

Zuko clapped me on the shoulder and walked away.

Eventually, the evening hours began, the time of departure approached. We met one last time in the middle of the camp, hugging each other and wishing each other luck for everything to come.

I walked over to Pagan and said: ''It is time!''

I mounted the dragon, casted one last glance at the others and shouted:

'' _Women zhan zai yiqi! Cike de shengli!''_ (We stand together! Victory to the Assassins!)

After these words, Pagan rose to the air and began to make his way towards the Fire Nation.

* * *

After flying for some time, I suddenly felt the heat in my body going sky high. But it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, quite the contrary: I had never felt this strong or powerful ever before. When I looked up to the sky, I saw the reason for all this: The sky was slowly but surely beginning to turn orange, the comet had reached its orbit!

I took my mother's medallion into my hand and held it firmly, before saying to my dragon friend:

''Pagan ... the end is nigh...''

* * *

 **Next chapter: Yulizan vs. Azula**


	42. Duel of the Fates (Comet, Part 3)

Pagan turned his head and asked: ''You really think so?''

I nodded and said determined: ''I have waited four long years for this fight, four years during which this once so ordinary young man who had lost his family evolved into a masterful warrior. From the day my family died and I decided to become an Assassin to avenge their deaths, everything I did was aimed at this moment. Now the time has finally come, the biggest fight of my life is about to happen. And I will not fail!''

Pagan asked: ''But what will happen if you do fail? If you really ... what about me? And Ty Lee and your child?''

I gently rubbed the dragon's scaly neck and said: ''If the worst-case-scenario really becomes reality, promise me that you will keep an eye on Ty Lee and our child for the rest of their lives. Protect them, as you have always done for me.''

Pagan nodded and then I saw something that I had never deemed possible: a tear in the eye of the dragon.

I asked: ''Are you crying, Pagan? I never knew that dragons were even able to cry.''

Pagan answered with a low voice: ''It's just ... you're my master, my best friend, you raised me, I have accompanied you for all my life. And now all of this might end just like that...''

I once again rubbed the dragon's neck and said: ''Don't worry, everything will work out somehow. I have trained four years for this moment, I will not fail! And now please be quiet and continue flying, I have to concentrate for a moment!''

Pagan obeyed, fell silent and continued his flight, while I tried to put myself into a state of meditation, I wanted to get some final advice before fighting what would definitely be the most important fight of my life. I closed my eyes and started concentrating my thoughts.

* * *

It worked faster than I had thought, after only a couple of moments I found myself in the Spirit World, more precisely in the great hall of my parents' house. And as I had wanted, the spirits of my father and grandfather were there as well.

I walked up to them, bowed and said: ''It is time, the biggest and most important fight of my life is imminent. I was hoping that you could give me one more piece of advice before I face the princess.''

My father looked me in the eye, smiled and said: ''You don't need another piece of advice, my son. You have all the skills and abilities you need to win this fight.''

My grandfather added: ''You have fought countless battles during the last years and you have emerged victorious from each and every one of them. You always honored the Order, never lost focus of your task, the Spirits are pleased with you.''

I bowed one more time, before my father began to speak once again: ''Just do not forget one thing: You now have another big responsibility that you have to carry. But do not despair, you will master this one as well.''

I of course understood that my father was talking about my love to Ty Lee and our unborn child.

I answered: ''Of course, father, I will not disappoint you. But now is the time for me to go. Today, I will finally be able to give you, mother and the others the peace that you have longed for so long. And through this deed, I will also finally find my own inner peace, so that I'll finally be able to live my life in order.''

My father bowed, while my grandfather said: ''Good luck, Yulizan, and don't forget one thing: your master has given you something special to help you on your way and now is the time to use it. May the Spirits watch over you, my boy.''

Now my grandfather bowed as well, before only one second later the two silhouettes began to slowly fade away and I returned to the mortal world.

* * *

I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the now almost blood red sky around me, the comet was approaching its zenith.

I thought of my grandfather's last words, of course I knew what he had meant. I took my bag of concoctions and potions and rummaged around in it. At the bottom of the bag, I eventually found what I had been looking for: A small phial filled with a dark red liquid. My master had given me this potion after my appointment as Master Assassin, saying: ''This is perhaps the most powerful potion we Assassins have ever created. Save this phial for the one fight that you will consider the most important of your entire life. Should you get the feeling that your strength and abilities won't be enough to win the fight, drink the potion. It will give you incredible power, nobody will be able to defeat you once you're under its influence.'' I put the phial under my belt, since I wouldn't carry my bag with me during the fight.

As we continued to move closer and closer to the Fire Nation capital, I wanted to know how much of an impact the comet really was having on the fire bending. Therefore I wanted to create just a small flame, but instead, a huge stream of fire emerged from my hand! I flinched in shock for a short second, but then nodded determinedly, my powers had increased tremendously. I would still have quite a hard time with Azula, but I was confident that I would succeed.

* * *

Shortly afterwards, the capital finally came into sight. I embraced my mother's medallion in my hand one last time, looked up to the sky and said:

''It is time!''

From a distance, I had made out the large courtyard in front of the palace relatively quick, it was the only enlightened spot in the otherwise seemingly deserted city.

I said to Pagan: ''We will land right in the middle of the palace courtyard. You drop me off and immediately fly away again. Stay away from any kind of danger as far as possible. If I win, I will signal you to pick me up again. Should I fail ... you know what you have to do.''

Pagan nodded and said softly: ''Good luck, Yulizan, may the Spirits watch over you.''

After that, the dragon fell silent and began his landing approach on the palace courtyard.

While still in the air, I already was able to see the large-scale ceremony that was currently taking place to crown Azula the new Fire Lord. But I would not let them finish!

As he was descending, Pagan uttered a loud roar to attract the attention of all the people assembled in the courtyard. He eventually landed gently right in front of the palace, I slowly dismounted, Pagan rose back into the air and flew away.

With perhaps the most determined and most grim face of my life, I slowly but surely began to approach Azula, who was dressed in queen-like robes.

Some of the priests who stood beside and behind the princess began to mumble and whisper when they caught sight of me.

One of them eventually said quite loudly: ''It's the Dragon Rider, just like the ancient legends prophesized!''

The priest standing next to him asked: ''Dragon Rider? Ancient Legends? What are you even talking about?''

The first priest answered: ''Many hundreds of years ago, the very first Fire Priests received a Scroll of Prophecy from the Spirits themselves. The prophecy said that one day, a great conflict, which will shape the history of the entire world, will be started by a dragon rider and ended by another.''

The second priest, who now began to look quite unsettled, said: ''Stop talking in riddles! What is your point?''

''Don't you understand? Fire Lord Sozin! He was a dragon rider and he started the Hundred Year War! He was the dragon rider mentioned by the prophecy! The Fire Lord knew of the prophecy, which was also the reason why he introduced the dragon hunt: To prevent the existence of potential new dragon riders and therefore being able to conduct his plan of conquering the entire world without any problems. And this boy right there is the second dragon rider mentioned in the prophecy, the one who will end the conflict...''

''ENOUGH!''

The priest was cut off mid-sentence by Azula, who had a furious look in her eyes. She stared at the priests, who I think just wanted to curl up and die instead of facing the princess's fury, and said:

''Stop with your stupid old wives' tales and focus! This is the most important moment in the history of this country and I won't let some superstitious old idiots ruin it!''

She turned her head again and now looked directly in my direction, shouting: ''You there! How can you even dare to interrupt such an important ceremony? Reveal yourself! NOW!''

I moved both hands up to my hood and slowly removed it. As soon as my face was visible, Azula's eyes widened, she had recognized me!

''YOU? Not again! When will you finally give up? Kill him, now!'', Azula yelled at some nearby guards.

But most of them were too intimidated by both my mere sight, and seemingly also by of the priest's story of the prophecy, which, by the way, didn't interest me at all; only a handful charged at me.

I remained calm the whole time, eventually drew my katanas and killed all of my attackers without turning a hair when they came close.

Azula became even more shocked, her previously perfect hair slowly began to become disheveled.

I raised my head, looked the princess in the eye and said with a loud, dark voice: ''This ceremony is over, princess! You are not worthy to ascend the throne of this once great country! This time you cannot escape from me, this time I won't fail! Your rule is at an end, and it wasn't short enough! I will kill you so that your brother can take his rightful place on this throne! But I offer you one last chance to keep your honor! I hereby challenge you to an Agni Kai Siwang! A fire bending duel, just the two of us, TO. THE. DEATH!''

Azula's expression suddenly changed from shock to an insane grin. She stood up and said darkly: ''I accept! Then I'll finally be rid of you and nobody can stand in my way anymore!''

I reached for the clasp shaped like the Seal of the Assassins that held my robe together by the collar, unfastened it and removed my robe. My cloth shirt followed shortly after, my scarred torso became visible. I saw Azula swallowing hard, she actually seemed to be intimidated by my sight after all.

As I took my position at one end of the courtyard, Azula got rid of her ceremonial robes and then took her position at the other end of the courtyard. I focused all my thoughts on this moment and took up my fighting stance!

Here we were: A completely insane witch-princess and an Assassin driven by nothing but vengeance! And only of us would leave this courtyard alive!

* * *

Azula eventually made the first move and launched a gigantic jet of blue fire towards me! I countered with a jet of equal intensity. With incredible power blue met white and filled almost the entire courtyard. It was perhaps the strongest state I had ever experienced my fire in, the comet really gave both of us incredible bending powers.

In this fight, I also finally would play all my hidden trump cards, I hoped to surprise Azula with at least a couple of new attacks.

My first new attack was the ''Flight of the Phoenix'', as I called it: I created a small flame in the palm of my hand, then held it in front of my face and blew into it with all the strength of my lungs! A huge fire-bird emerged from the small white flame, it spread its wings and rushed towards Azula. She was able to dodge the fiery animal's onslaught at the last second, otherwise I would have already hit her pretty hard this early into the fight. Now she began an attack on her part again, hurling all sorts of variations of her blue fire at me, but I was able to dodge or block everything relatively easy.

After a series of hard attacks, Azula dropped to one knee, gasping for air exhaustedly.

I called: ''Is that all you got, princess? I had expected a big challenge, but this ridiculous! You are weak! Do you hear me? Weak!''

Apparently, this provocation was enough to destroy Azula's already endangered mental health for good. She let out a high-pitched scream, grabbed one strand of her hair and ripped it out completely!

''Just you wait! I will show you! Nobody is more powerful than me! Nobody!'', she screamed with the howling voice of a broken but still highly dangerous witch.

I watched her next actions very closely, once I saw the electricity crackling at her fingertips, I knew exactly what was coming. But for situations like this, I still had one very special ace up my sleeve, a technique only known to me and my master, who had taught me how to use this very often life-threatening personal defensive measure.

I waited for Azula to fire her bolt of lightning, which happened only seconds later. But instead of dodging or the like, I stayed in my position and raised my arm. The lightning bolt came closer and closer and eventually hit the exact center of my open hand. I concentrated all my physical strength and almost all of my chi in my hand, it was pushed back quite a bit, but in the end it worked! A ball of pure energy that absorbed the lighting began to form in my palm. Eventually, after collecting all the lightning in the ball, I managed to clench my hand into a fist with great effort, directing the ball's energy into my body. I had done it, in contrast to Zuko's technique I had not redirected the lightning, but instead completely discharged it, completely negated its power!

I looked at Azula, who was staring at me in complete disbelief, she couldn't believe what I had just done. For the first time during this duel, I let myself get carried away for a short moment, cracked a mischievous smirk and said:

''You still have much to learn, princess. Get ready for the true power of lightning!''

I entered the state of concentration and started my own lightning bending. My movements became faster and faster until I eventually discharged the full force of the purple lightning and hurled it at Azula! She stopped dead in her tracks as the purple bolt flew towards her, only at the very last moment she ducked away. The lightning hit a pillar behind her and destroyed it completely!

Azula first stared at the remnants of the pillar, then at me. Her eyes were now filled with nothing but complete and utter madness! Then, suddenly, she started to laugh, at first it was just a laugh, but then it eventually turned into an insane cackling. Without a word of warning, she suddenly came rushing towards me, her fists engulfed in flames!

I was completely unprepared for this attack and reacted far too late. Even though I managed to block the first fire-boosted punch, the second hit me in the chest with full force! I groaned through my teeth to stifle the pain, but the force of the punch still dragged me to the ground. My back plunked hard onto the stone ground, I saw Azula slowly approaching me, then everything went black.

* * *

But thankfully, my state of unconsciousness didn't last long, because only a few seconds after blacking out, I sensed being pulled up from the ground and pressed against something else that was equally as hard.

I opened my eyes slightly and saw Azula, one hand around my neck, the other still engulfed in flames, ready for the final blow! But I wouldn't be a Master Assassin if I wasn't able to get out of a situation like this.

In her madness, Azula had completely forgotten about my free arms and legs. As she reached back to finish me, my right hand sprung forward and pushed Azula away from me a couple of meters. Before she realized what was going on, I followed my punch up with a strong kick to the princess's head, sending her to the ground. However, she got up only seconds later and looked at me, her face filled with hatred. I still felt the pain from her punch on my chest, but nevertheless I knew: The moment has come!

Inconspicuously, I reached for the phial with the special potion and said:

''All I've ever wanted was destiny to be fulfilled! It is in my hands! I must not fail! I will not fail! This passion inside me , it keeps burning and burning! Even through the darkest days, in the darkest night, I am the Flame, I always burn! I walk in the shadows to bring to the world! I am an Assassin!''

I uncorked the phial and emptied it in one swig. The potion tasted a bit sour at first, but had a quite spicy aftertaste. I stared at Azula with a determined face and waited for the potion to take effect.

Shortly thereafter, I felt an unfamiliar warmth, it was almost heat, inside me. And unlike the heat the comet caused, this feeling was not very pleasant, quite the contrary, I felt like I was burning internally! What the hell had my master foisted on me with this potion?

I wanted to feel my face, to check if my temperature really was climbing into such extreme heights, but when I raised my hands, an incredible shock hit me! My hands and arms began to slowly turn orange to reddish and even went up in flames shortly after! At first, I wanted to scream, but then I realized that my whole body was changing. My field of vision suddenly turned orange, apparently my eyes had changed color. I heard a steady crackling in immediate vicinity, seconds later I realized that my hair had turned into flames! And after my arms, the rest of my body had also changed color and caught fire! Now there was absolutely no doubt anymore: I had actually turned into a fire demon! And amazingly, I didn't feel uncomfortable or anything like that, but instead strong and powerful!

I looked at Azula again and saw the mortally scared look in her eyes. With a dark and demonic voice that I didn't even have to imitate, I said:

''Let's finish this, princess!''

* * *

Azula broke away from her rigidity and fell back into her madness. She began to hurl a rain of fire at me, but I didn't dodge. Some of the fire balls hit me, but I felt nothing but a puff of air on my skin. Azula continued to attack unhindered, I had to counter somehow.

Since I didn't know what kind of special powers the fire demon transformation gave me, I used a technique that I also could have used as a human. Thankfully, despite the fact that the demon consisted of ordinary yellow-orange fire, I was still able to create my typical white fire. Supported by the power of the comet, I created a column, several meters high and completely made of white fire. Then I took some yellow fire from a nearby torch and, using rotary motions, integrated it into the column, which now began to spin around itself, effectively creating a fire tornado!

Azula, completely oblivious to do what I was doing, was still hurling flames at me, I managed to deflect some of them and move them into the tornado. The colors of the different flames eventually mixed together, creating a light green-colored fire in the process! Once the storm had gathered enough power, I pushed and forced it to move towards Azula. She had no chance to dodge, was flung through the air by the storm and burned in many places in the process.

Shortly thereafter, the storm died down again and Azula fell to the ground. Her hair was now dangling all over her face, her clothes were torn or burned in many places, some spots of burned skin were visible. After having some problems standing up and regaining her balance, she prepared to create lightning once again. Although I didn't know what kind of effect lightning would have on the demon, I was willing to take the risk and find out first-hand.

Azula eventually created an even larger lightning bolt than the first time and got ready to fire it right at me. I just stood there, ready for impact, when the lightning struck my body with full force. Even though I stumbled backwards a few steps, I remained on my feet.

And then I felt another change in my body: The heat that had spread in my body with the fire demon suddenly disappeared, giving way to a new sensation, a feeling of coldness, but also incredible power. When I looked down at my body, my guess was confirmed: Azula's lightning bolt had changed my shape again, my body was now glowing in a bright blue, the fire demon had become a lightning demon! I was pretty sure that this was the most powerful form I could achieve, now I had to act!

I began to approach Azula, who continued to throw flames at me, now out of complete desperation, but nothing seemed to do any damage to me anymore.

I raised both my hands and from out of nowhere created four chains made of lightning that encircled Azula's wrists and ankles and shackled her mid-air! There she was hanging now, the insane princess of the Fire Nation, completely helpless.

I positioned myself right in front of her and stared at her with my blue demon eyes, her fearful look was balm for my soul. Now she would finally die, after so many failed attempts, now the moment of truth had finally come!

I created a sword made of lightning in my and grabbed it with my demon hand. I looked Azula in the eye one last time, then I said:

''This is for the world, my family and Ty Lee!''

I lunged out with the lightning sword and rammed it through Azula's black heart with full force! The lightning chains shattered and shot up into the sky as Azula uttered her death cry! The sword dissolved in her heart, she sank to the ground dead.

There I stood, triumphant over the dead princess! But suddenly, I was overcome by a great pain, I grabbed my chest and sank to my knees. The great power that the demon form had given me vanished, the potion's transformation began to lose its effect. Gradually, my body changed back to normal, first my hair reappeared, then my vision turned back to normal, and finally my skin also regained its usual paleness.

I now saw Azula's corpse with my normal eyes, I raised my fist to the sky, I had done it! Now only Ozai was left, then my mission was finally completed!

* * *

Shortly thereafter, I heard the well-known sound of the flying bison above me, only seconds later Appa landed in the courtyard, Katara and Zuko dismounted the saddle.

Katara called: ''Yulizan! Are you alright?''

I wanted to answer, but suddenly the last remains of my strength left me, I toppled over and lost consciousness.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Peace at last?**


	43. All Well That Ends Well? (Comet, Part 4)

I don't know exactly what happened next, the first thing I remember was a feeling of cold and wet on my forehead.

I tried to open my eyes, which took me quite some effort, the first thing I saw and noticed was the slowly darkening sky, which meant that the comet had now passed the world completely.

Next, I saw Zuko and finally Katara, who was kneeling next to me, dabbing my forehead with a damp cloth. I tried to sit up, but suddenly felt a strong and sharp pain in my chest.

Katara tried to hold me back and said: ''Relax, you're not strong enough just yet. After all: You took quite a few hits.''

I looked down and saw that my chest and shoulder were firmly bandaged at the spot where Azula had hit me. I tried to speak, which proved to be quite difficult because of the injury.

I asked Katara: ''What happened?''

''Well, Zuko and I both knew that your fight against Azula would most likely be pretty tough and brutal. We were worried that something bad might happen to you, so we set out ourselves some time after you had left and followed you, to help you if necessary. When we saw the many lightning bolts shooting into the sky from afar, we immediately knew that something serious had happened. We hurried and eventually found you standing next to Azula's corpse in the courtyard. I called out for you, but you passed out after you had turned around. Zuko carried you onto Appa's saddle and I immediately started to take care of your wounds.''

That's when something came to my mind: ''My equipment! I had put it aside before the fight!''

Katara put her hand on my shoulder: ''Don't worry. We saw it and took it with us.''

She pointed a finger at the other end of the saddle, my robe and my weapons laid there neatly.

''Thank you.'', I said.

Katara smiled and said: ''Get some rest, we're flying to the others.''

Did that mean that Aang had done it? The Fire Lord was defeated? How should I get some rest then? My mission was not yet finished!

For the moment, I deferred to Katara and lied down again. In my thoughts, however, there already was a real outburst of emotions, I was only more step away from the completion of my life task!

* * *

We flew for quite a while, until we eventually reached the Earth Kingdom's western seaboard. There, in the remains of a stone forest, we landed on a large pillar of rock.

Katara asked me: ''Do you think that you're fit enough to at least stand up propped up?''

I nodded, whereupon Zuko came to me, pulled me up and put my left arm over his neck. My legs felt like lead at the first moment, I was standing quite wobbly despite Zuko's support, the potion's transformation really had robbed me of all my energy.

With Zuko's help, I eventually managed to leave Appa's saddle and reach the pillar of rock, where Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph and Aang were already standing.

At the far end of the pillar, a broken-looking figure knelt, shackled to the ground with earth shackles. Although he had lowered his head, I recognized Fire Lord Ozai. Despite the pain and my physical weakness, the anger began to boil up inside me once again.

Meanwhile, Aang was telling that he had used a very special power to take away the Fire Lord's ability to bend fire for good, thus defeating him. I smiled, I ended up being right, the young Avatar had found a way.

But unfortunately, that was not enough! I had to complete my mission, I had to do it!

I turned my head and told Zuko: ''Let me go, it's alright.''

''Are you sure?''

''Just trust me.''

Skeptically, Zuko removed my arm from his shoulders and let me stand on my own again. My legs were still a little wobbly, but now I was kept on them solely by my sheer determination.

Slowly and with caution, as I set my wobbly steps, I approached Aang and gave him a small nod. Aang nodded back and made a little pointing gesture, as if he was opening an imaginary door for me, with his arm towards the Fire Lord.

Katara wanted to stop me, but Aang held her back: ''Let him, we have to give him this moment.''

Katara obeyed with a slightly sad look in her eyes.

I walked slowly but determinedly towards to the fallen monarch. Eventually, I had reached him, the moment of truth had finally arrived!

* * *

As I stood directly in front of Ozai, he didn't look up at first. I leaned down, grabbed his pointed chin beard and pulled his head up so I could look him in the eye.

I asked him: ''Do you recognize me?''

At first, the former Fire Lord did not react, but the realization seemed to strike him, his eyes widened, he gasped:

''It's ... it's you! You're the boy of that traitor family! But that's impossible! The soldier told me they killed you!''

''As you can plainly see, I am very much alive! 4 years ago, you killed my entire family! Do you remember what I screamed into your face that day?

 _''You will pay for this! One day, I will find you and slice your throat!''_

And now, this day has finally come!''

I extended my right arm blade.

''This blade once belonged to my father. Do you remember what he screamed before you chopped off his head? He was right! You killed him and the rest of my family, but you did not win! The Assassins are always victorious and with your death, peace will finally return to the world!''

I put the blade to Ozai's throat and enjoyed the broken, frightened look in his eyes one last time, then I said:

''This is for my family! _Anxi ba, ni zhege kewu de hundan!_ (Rest in peace, you miserable bastard!)''

Slowly and with relish, I pushed my father's blade into Ozai's throat, cutting through skin and muscles, I felt the blood running over my hand, it was nothing but pure satisfaction!

Ozai rattled for a short moment, then the evil in his eyes died down for good and his whole body sank to the ground!

At the first moment, I just couldn't believe it, but I really had done it! I actually killed Fire Lord Ozai! The world was saved! My family was avenged! My destiny was fulfilled! I had prevailed!

I took my mother's medallion from my neck, held it firmly in my hand and raised my fist to the sky.

While doing this, I said: ''I did it! I have avenged you! At last, you can rest in peace!''

I wasn't able to hold my emotions back any longer, tears of joy began running down my face, it simply was an incredibly beautiful feeling.

But suddenly, the feeling of victory gave way to another feeling, a very unpleasant one. My raised fist suddenly began to tremble, my body felt like someone was piercing countless needles into my skin in all kinds of places! I dropped to my knees and pressed my hand to my chest, my breathing became heavy, my vision became blurred.

Eventually, I wasn't able to keep myself on my knees anymore, I sprawled to the ground, my vision continued to fade, the last thing I perceived was the nervous shouting and running of my friends, then my world turned black completely.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I didn't know where I was. I was standing in a forest of strange white trees emitting an unnatural light.

''Am I in the Spirit World?'', I wondered and as if by command, a strange voice answered: ''No, you're not!''

I immediately recognized the voice, it was the same voice that I had heard in my head so many times before and that had kept talking to me.

''Who are you? Show yourself!'', I called.

''If you insist.'', the voice answered.

I turned around several times, was attuned for any kind of danger, to see what exactly this voice was and where it came from.

Eventually, something moved behind one of the many trees. I drew my katanas, ready to fight.

But what emerged from behind the tree shocked me to the core: It was a figure that looked exactly like me, except that it seemed to be made entirely of shadow. There was no real face visible under the hood, just a mouth and two empty, crimson-colored eyes.

I couldn't figure out what this was all about by no stretch of the imagination, so I asked once more:

''Who or what are you?''

The figure laughed softly and answered: ''Actually, I was hoping that you would know that by now, but don't worry, I can give you a leg up: I am you! Your dark side!''

I took a step back in disbelief. This shadowy figure was supposed be my dark side? I couldn't and didn't want to believe that!

''What exactly is this place here?''

''This is the Spirit World's precipice, or to use a more simple term: Purgatory! You were sent here because you currently are on the threshold between life and death. As you probably have realized by now, my prophecy has come true! You actually provoked it yourself in the end!''

''What do you mean by prophecy?'', I asked perplexed.

The figure tried to act surprised: ''Oh, have you already forgotten my words? The words I have whispered to you over and over again. I can repeat them one more time if you want:

 _''When the empire falls, you will completely turn into a monster!''_

Does that ring a bell?''

I stared down at the ground, speechless. Now I finally understood the true meaning of that phrase: By taking the potion and transforming into the Fire Demon, I literally had turned into a monster and brought down the Fire Nation empire, the empire of terror, it all made sense now!

The figure grinned: ''I see that you finally understand! Do you get it now? You cannot escape your dark side! I will always be with you, accompany you, so you better accept it! You're a killer and killers are monsters! You are a monster, embrace it!''

I raised my head determinedly and stared at the figure with a grim look in my eyes:

''You're wrong! I've never been a monster and will never be one! I've fulfilled my task, the killing is over! I already have a new life waiting for me and I won't let anybody take it away from me!''

With a loud cry, I raised my katanas, rammed the first one right through the chest of the figure, who didn't even know what hit him, and cut off its head with the second one. As soon as the blade had passed through its neck, the whole figure dissolved and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

Was that it? Did I defeat my dark side? Were my body and soul pure again?

I didn't have to think long about these things, because only shortly after five silhouettes appeared in front of me, the souls of my family!

My mother had a smile on her face as she approached me and gave me a tender hug, which I of course returned.

She said: ''I always knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you!''

My father arrived and said: ''Son, you did it. You have avenged us and restored our family's honor, our souls are free now and can finally rest in peace. Thank you so much, for everything you have taken on to achieve this.''

My father now hugged me as well, I said:

''I did what had to be done. And now I also defeated my dark side once and for all. The killing is over, I will retire from my position as an active Assassin. A new time is about to begin for me, the time of my own family.''

My father put his hand on my shoulder and said: ''You will manage it, my son. You definitely will be a good father. And if you ever have problems, never forget: We are always right at your side.''

''Thank you, father. But I think now it's time for me to return, my friends probably are already very worried about me. Enjoy your peace. Rest well!'', I said, as the silhouettes began to fade and my soul slowly found its way back into my real body.

* * *

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. I was just lying there, panting and unaware of where exactly I was.

But then, suddenly, next to me, I heard a familiar voice:

''Yulizan! Thank the Spirits, you're awake!''

It was Katara, I turned my head and spotted the water bender.

I was obviously lying in a bed, wrapped in thick blankets. The room in which this bed was located in had reddish walls, with sunlight coming through a large window, I most likely was in a Fire Nation building.

I tried to sit up, which proved to be relatively easy, I only got a little bit dizzy. The blankets fell off my shoulders, I now saw the bandages that were still covering my chest.

My eyes wandered over to Katara, who was standing next to the bed, I asked:

''What happened? Where are we?''

''In the palace of the Fire Nation capital. You fell into a coma after you had killed the Fire Lord, we tried everything but weren't able to revive you on the spot. So we decided to take you to a safe place and to look after you, in the hope that you'll wake up by yourself.''

''And how long was I out?''

''One week.''

I was practically dead for 7 days? That was quite the achievement!

''And what about the others? What happened while I was gone?''

''To be honest: Not much. We were mainly occupied with looking after you and hoping that you are fine. Zuko even said that he doesn't want to be crowned the new Fire Lord until you're awake and fit enough to be at the ceremony.''

''A nice gesture from him. And I think this day has now come. I'm awake and feel well rested again.''

''Are you sure?''

''Of course. An entire week of sleep seems to work wonders.''

''Then would it be OK for you if I go and get the others? They sure want to talk to you too.''

''Sure, no problem.''

Katara left the room. I got up as well and slowly walked to the window. I touched my bandages, they probably only were still there for protection, because I felt almost no pain anymore. I looked out of the window, into the distance to the sea, towards a world that now was finally peaceful again.

But a real phase of tranquility to enjoy the whole thing was not granted to me, because shortly thereafter the door opened and the rest of my friends entered the room.

Toph immediately ran towards and wrapped her arms around me. A short twitch in my chest was the result, but I ignored it and returned the hug. Aang and Zuko hugged me as well and expressed their joy that I was fine.

Sokka retained his usual stoic personality and said: ''Well, looks like good ol' Zuko here can finally be crowned now!''

We all laughed and agreed. The coronation eventually was scheduled to take place the following day.

* * *

The next day, a large crowd had gathered in the courtyard in front of the palace.

I had joined the celebrations with Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki, wearing a ceremonial Assassin robe that was only allowed to be worn for special occasions. Pagan, who by the way had cried again when he found that I was fine, had gotten me the robe from the monastery. My dragon friend was delighted that I had survived my battles and that we would continue to travel the world together.

As we now walked across the courtyard and through the crowd, we met many old friends again. Katara and Sokka met their father, while Suki was reunited with the rest of her group of Kyoshi Warriors, the group that I had freed from the Boiling Rock.

And this group of the Warriors also had a very special surprise for me. When I turned away for a moment, somebody behind me suddenly covered my eyes, I said:

''Who's this?''

I heard the well-known voice, it was music to my ears: ''Love!''

I answered: ''I love you too!'', turned around and kissed my Ty Lee.

That's when I noticed: She was wearing the armor and face paint of the Kyoshi Warriors, just like back in Ba Sing Se.

She told me: ''After you freed us from the prison, Mai and I continued traveling with the Warriors. We became friends, I showed them some of my chi-blocking techniques and they eventually accepted me as a full member of their group!''

''Nice!'', I answered.

So my girl had found a new purpose in her life, I was more than proud of her.

I told her: ''I was able to fulfill my mission. Now there is nothing left that could separate us. From now on, we will stay together, forever.''

Ty Lee was all smiles and kissed me again.

Then the coronation ceremony began. Zuko officially declared the war over and vowed to lead the world into a new age of peace.

We all applauded, I looked up to the sky and though once again:

''I did it! This is the world I always wanted to live in. This is the world in which my new family will originate. It's a peaceful world and it will stay this way.''

* * *

Some time later, we all sat together comfortably in a large hall in the Fire Nation palace, enjoying our well-deserved repose. Ty Lee was sitting on my lap, we were cuddling fondly.

After some time, Suki came up to us and said: ''Yulizan, can I talk to you alone for a moment?''

Wondering what the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors wanted from me, I said: ''Of course.''

Ty Lee slipped off my lap, I stood up and left the room together with Suki.

We eventually went to a balcony from which one could look over the entire courtyard and the sea.

As we stood there, I asked: ''So, what exactly did you want to talk with me about?''

''Well, I wanted to ask you a big favor.''

''And that would be?''

''I have seen that you are an incredibly skilled fighter, and the other warriors, the ones you freed from the Boiling Rock, also talked about how impressed they were with what they saw you do in the prison. Therefore, I would like to make a proposal to you: Would you be willing to train the Warriors of Kyoshi and teach us your fighting techniques and abilities? I'm sure that skills like yours could be very helpful for our missions.''

I have to admit that I didn't expect anything like this offer at all.

I answered: ''Suki, the training I went through has been very difficult, long and complicated. I don't know if you really want to take on this kind of exertions.''

''We are Warriors of Kyoshi, we face any kind of challenge.''

''I don't doubt that, but the training for Assassin skills is a whole other caliber. But if you really are sure ... then I would be honored to become your master.''

''Wonderful!'', Suki rejoiced.

''However, there are a few things I need to tell you in advance: First, to be trained in the arts of the Assassins, you must respect the Assassin rules and rituals. Second, I will be your teacher and master, which means that all of you have to follow each of my commands. And thirdly, as an Assassin, one can't know any moral limits, you must be willing to kill if you want to reach the full extent of the training. Is that clear to you?''

''Yes, it is. I will inform the other warriors, I'm sure they will agree as well.''

''What will you inform us about?'', I heard Ty Lee saying, she seemingly had followed us.

Thereupon, Suki and I told my girl what we had just discussed.

Ty Lee was immediately hooked by the whole idea and said: ''That's perfect, Yulizan! This way, we really can stay close together.''

My love was right! By training the Warriors on Kyoshi Island, I would be able to be close to Ty Lee all the time, which was a really good prospect with regard to our child.

Suki added: ''Well, then everything seems settled. As far as I know, there is a large, currently unoccupied house on the island, I'm pretty sure you will be able to live there.''

''Is it big enough for an entire family?'', I asked.

''I think so.''

''Well, then you were right: Everything is settled. Just let me know when you plan to leave for the island, then Pagan and I will accompany you.''

Suki nodded and went back inside the palace.

* * *

Now me and Ty Lee were alone on the balcony, which offered a beautiful view of the sea and the setting sun.

I stood behind Ty Lee and put my arms around her, until they rested on top of her belly. She turned her head and looked at me with a smile. I smiled back and kissed her gently. After that, we continued watching the slowly setting sun.

I was happy. I had fulfilled my life task, my family now could finally rest in peace.

The war was over, a time full of love and peace lied ahead of us.

I had found the woman of my life and would be a father soon.

My life was perfect! I had completed my previous mission, but a new, probably far tougher one was already waiting for me:

The adventure known as family!

* * *

 **Next chapter: The beginning of a new life**


	44. A Masterful Message

In the time that followed, our lives in the palace simply were wonderful! We enjoyed our time in this now peaceful world.

I had stored away my weapons and the rest of my equipment in a box on the day of Zuko's coronation, I wouldn't need them anymore for the time being.

Zuko proved to be a good and, above all, wise ruler, one of his first official acts was to dissolve the numerous Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. I endorsed this goal, even though I wasn't really interested in politics. The Assassins had always preferred to keep their independence and Zuko had immediately assured me that it would stay that way.

I now dedicated my entire attention and interest to Ty Lee and our unborn child, sometimes spending what felt like hours placing my head on Ty Lee's belly to feel if the baby was already moving. Although I never achieved a success, since it was still way too early in Ty Lee's pregnancy, it still was a very nice feeling, I really couldn't wait until the baby was here.

However, a few days later, something that would throw our nice and peaceful life a little off course again happened.

* * *

We were all sitting together in the tearoom that Iroh had set up in the palace, when we suddenly heard the quite loud sound of wings flapping. Shortly after, a large white hawk landed on edge of the window. I of course immediately knew that this was another message from the Assassin Monastery.

I stood up, went to the window and unbuckled the scroll the hawk had word on his leg, whereupon it turned around and flew away again.

I looked at the scroll, it of course was sealed with the Order's sigil. I sat back down in my chair, opened the scroll, unrolled it and began to read:

 _ **Master Yulizan,**_

 _ **the tidings of your victory are spreading in the world. You have fulfilled your mission, protected the Avatar in his task and restored peace in the world by the elimination of Fire Lord Ozai. There aren't many men who can boast themselves with the accomplishment of such great deeds. The Grand Masters have taken counsel and decided that your deeds were of such great importance for the entire world that you have earned yourself the honor of being appointed Grand Master yourself. This will make you the youngest Grand Master in the history of our Order. Return to the monastery as soon as possible, for that we can perform the ceremony.**_

 _ **May you walk in the shadows**_

 _ **Lao Zhu**_

After I had finished reading, I rolled up the scroll again and rested my head on my hand.

I was to be appointed the rank of Grand Master? At my age? It had never happened before that someone as young as me had received the honor of being allowed to call themselves Grand Master, as Lao Zhu had mentioned in his message.

Normally, the old rules of the Assassins required a member of the Order to honor the Codex throughout their life and to perform at least one act or deed that would be written down in the history books.

In fact, as I thought it through, I actually had already achieved this: During the four years in which I had been a member of the Assassin Order, I had always honored the Codex one hundred percent, and I had played an essential role in ending the Hundred Year War by eliminating Ozai, a story that would be in all books from now on.

So I truly deserved the right to be appointed Grand Master.

And I also realized: This was very good regarding my future role as teacher of the Kyoshi Warriors, because as a Grand Master one had all the powers and authority within the Order, which certainly would help me with the training of the Warriors.

* * *

My friends, who had been looking over my shoulder while I had been reading and probably had read along, were probably even more astonished than myself.

Zuko said: ''Wow!''

Aang said: ''What an honor!''

Katara said: ''Incredible!''

But Ty Lee had the biggest reaction. She flung her arms around my neck and rejoiced: ''That's wonderful! You're going to be a Grand Master!''

I hugged her back and said: ''Yes, seemingly I am.''

Sokka looked at me with a questioning look on his face and asked: ''What's wrong? You look like you're very happy about it.''

''No! Of course I'm happy, I just still can't believe it. You all read it yourselves: Such a thing has never happened before in the history of the Assassins, and our Order is several thousand years old. I think it's a pretty big thing that such an honor is to be granted to someone like me.''

''And what exactly are you going to do now?'', Katara asked.

''What do you think? I will travel to the monastery and perform this ceremony.''

''But I thought you wanted to travel to Kyoshi Island with me and the other Warriors to begin with our training as soon as possible.'', Suki interposed.

''One thing doesn't rule out the other, Suki.''

I looked out the window, it was afternoon, the sun had already left its zenith position and was now standing a little more in the west.

In my mind, I thought through the best possible route from the Fire Nation capital to the monastery, then I said:

''If I set out with Pagan within the next hour, we probably will reach the monastery late in the evening. The ceremony usually takes several hours, including all the frills. Therefore I think that this should take the entire following day. If Pagan and I then set out late in the evening again, I think we should be back in the early morning of the next day.''

I turned around again: ''That means: Suki, tell the other Warriors that we will set out for Kyoshi Island in the morning of the day after tomorrow.''

The leader nodded and said: ''Understood, I'll go and look for them.''

She stood up and left the room.

I now wanted to get ready for departure, but as I was bidding goodbye to my friends, Toph asked me:

''Are we not allowed to come along? I mean, such a ceremony usually is some sort of big party, shouldn't friends and such be there as well?''

''That's usually true, Toph, but don't forget: We Assassins prefer to retain our anonymity. For this reason, all outsiders who aren't members of the Order are prohibited from entering the monastery. Especially during ceremonies like this, since they always contain many secrets of the Order. I'm very sorry.''

The young earth bender took it easy and answered casually:

''Oh well, but I still wish you a lot of fun anyway.''

I however doubted that I would have ''fun'' at the ceremony.

* * *

I left the tearoom and proceeded into the room of Ty Lee and myself.

There, I opened the chest in which I stowed my equipment.

I took out the robe and the arm blades and put them on, since one should at least wear these two compulsory equipment pieces when entering the monastery.

I smoothed down my robe, then left the room and the palace.

On the way out, Ty Lee joined up with me, she wanted to say goodbye to me.

When we arrived on the palace courtyard, I whistled loudly and Pagan arrived shortly after. After he had landed, we approached him, I tapped one of his horns while Ty Lee petted his neck.

Thereafter, I put my arm around my girlfriend and kissed her tenderly for goodbye.

She said: ''Take care of yourself.''

''Don't worry, I won't be gone for long. But be ready for departure to the island when I come back. I don't want to arrive here and see that all the other warriors have to wait for you.''

We laughed together, then I mounted my dragon friend.

I waved Ty Lee goodbye, then Pagan rose to the air.

There I said to him: ''To the monastery!'', whereupon the dragon began to fly towards the mountains.

* * *

As I had predicted, we reached the monastery as night fell.

Pagan landed in the courtyard, I dismounted the dragon and treaded towards the Great Hall.

Eventually I opened the door and saw the Grand Masters sitting in their usual spots at the end of the room.

I walked through the big, wide hall until I had reached the Grand Masters.

I knelt down, Lao Zhau said: ''Rise, Master Yulizan.'', I did as told.

The Old Master continued: ''You have received my message?''

''I have, Master. It is a great honor that you decided to bestow me the rank of Grand Master.''

''You have more than earned it, Young Master, not just for what you did for the Order, but for the entire world.''

''Thank you, Master. If you are alright with it, I would like the official ceremony to be held tomorrow, I want to lose as little time as possible, I already have other tasks coming up that will soon require my attention.''

The old man nodded and said: ''Of course. Go and rest now, a big day is waiting for you tomorrow.''

I bowed to the Grand Masters, then left the building and returned to my old room in the tower.

As soon as I stepped through the door, my eyes moved over to the chest, in which my old equipment still was stored.

I thought for a moment if I should take one final look at it before tomorrow, but then I remembered one of my father's many sayings:

''Let dark pasts rest, otherwise they will haunt you all your life.''

And the equipment in that chest was just that: Nothing but a dark memory of a dark past, of my old life before the defeat in Ba Sing Se, a memory I definitely didn't want to refresh.

Therefore, I just took off my robe, laid down on my bed and fell asleep shortly thereafter.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up very early, since I of course knew what the traditions demanded of a prospective Grand Master.

I followed the steps one by one: First, I went to the tailor shop to pick up the garments every Grand Master had to wear over his usual robe when he was appointed.

My garments were red, as usual with an Assassin from the Fire Nation, and embroidered with golden ornaments.

I took the fabrics and put them over my shoulders. I had to say that they definitely looked good on me.

The next step was to go into the Great Hall, while the rest of the Order gathered in the big courtyard, to do homage to the prospective Grand Master.

I had to wait until the other Grand Masters had prepared everything and called me, better said, until the doors of the hall opened.

So I stood in the hall and waited. I didn't feel nervous, since I knew how the whole procedure would pass off, I knew everything I need to know, everything would be normal and go well.

Finally, I heard Lao Zhu's voice calling from outside: ''And now, welcome him, brothers and sisters, the newest Grand Master of our order, Master Assassin Yulizan Huyan!''

The big door of the hall opened slowly, I took one last deep breath and stepped outside.

I immediately saw the sheer mass of Assassin recruits, novices, adepts and all other ranks, everybody had raised their fist to the sky.

I walked forward, to the top of the stairs that led to the hall. There was a pompous chair, which I sat down on, so I now had the entire courtyard with all the Assassins in view.

Now the ceremony began. First, a little crown adorned with the sigil of the Order was placed on my head.

Next, I had to stretch out my hands. The tattoo of the Order's sigil, which I already had tattooed on my left ring finger since my appointment as Master, was now also being applied to the ring finger of the right hand. This was the first symbol of Grand Master status.

For the next step, the sleeve of my left arm was rolled up, Lao Zhu asked:

''Master Yulizan, which Grand Master Name have you chosen? I hope you have considered your choice well.''

I nodded and said: ''From this day on, I shall be known as ... the Tyrantslayer!''

Lao Zhu said: ''A good choice.''

The tattooist then began to perpetuate the characters on my arm.

Once that was done, the ceremony was almost over.

Lao Zhu rose to speak again and said: ''Brothers and sisters, it is done! Now honor him! Grand Master Yulizan Huyan, the Tyrantslayer! May the Spirits be with him!''

The crowd repeated the last sentence loudly.

I stood up and said: ''Brothers and sisters, it is a great honor to bear the title of Grand Master from now on. And each and every one of you has the opportunity to stand here where I am standing one day. Just never forget one thing: your life belongs to the Order, always adhere to the Codex, then the Spirits will reward you. To be an Assassin is more than honor, it is almost glorious! Never give up until you are victorious! Defend the Order and everything it stands for with your life! _Cike de shengli!_ (Victory to the Assassins!)''

The crowd once again repeated the last sentence loudly.

Now the ceremony was almost completed, only the final step was still missing, the music that welcomed the new Grand Master in his position.

I had decided on a relatively well-known piece that I had always liked. It was called ''The Rising Sun'' and was played on the erhu, and old string instrument. I listened to the sounds that some of the adepts elicited from the instruments.

When the music stopped, it was sealed. From this moment on, I was a Grand Master of the Assassin Order! I would never have dreamed of reaching this position at such a young age, but here I was!

However, the first task in my new position was immediately waiting for me, because in front of the chair I had been sitting on, a long line of Assassin recruits and novices had formed, all of whom wanted some advice from me.

Resigned, but still smiling, I sat down again and let the mass come at me.

* * *

The rest of the day, I was busy answering questions and things like that, when it started to getting dark, I realized that Pagan and I would have to leave soon if we wanted to reach the capital in time for dawn.

I turned to the remaining Assassins and announced that I had to take my leave now. They were disappointed, but still obeyed immediately.

''So this is how giving commands feels like...'', I thought, as I begin to say goodbye to the rest of the Grand Masters.

That's when I remembered another important thing that I still had to do.

I visited the blacksmith's shop and placed a large order for special weapons with the craftsmen, the weapons the Kyoshi Warriors would need if they really wanted me to train them in the Assassin ways of fighting.

The craftsmen assured me that the required items would be ready tomorrow, I was more than satisfied with that.

I would send Pagan to pick up the order sometime during the day tomorrow, while I would already start with the Warriors' basic training on the island.

I left the blacksmith's shop and again stepped out to the now completely deserted courtyard.

I whistled and Pagan landed shortly afterwards.

I mounted him and said: ''Alright, let's go back home, my friend, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow.''

Pagan, who of course knew what I was talking about, nodded and rose to the air.

Shortly thereafter, we left the monastery behind and flew straight back towards the capital of the Fire Nation.

* * *

 **Next chapter: The training begins**


	45. The Codex of the Assassins

We flew all night, I used the time to sleep at least a little bit, I wanted to be one hundred percent ready to start training the Warriors tomorrow.

In order to fall asleep faster, I thought through all the important aspects and lessons that I planned teaching the Warriors over the course of the following time. It worked, eventually, also supported by the fine breeze of wind caused by Pagan's flight, I closed my eyes.

The last thing I thought about was that tomorrow truly a new era would start. I would no longer be just the simple warrior acting on behalf of the Order, but now would be the Master, the Teacher, the Sensei myself.

I wondered if I would be able to fulfill this role just as well as my previous one, but that was a question that only time could answer.

* * *

When I woke up again, the first thing I saw was the sun slowly rising in the distance.

I sat up again and thereupon saw that the capital was already visible again in the distance. This meant that my plan had worked and we had been able to meet the allotted time.

As we continued to move closer and closer towards the city, I eventually instructed Pagan to camouflage himself.

''But why?'', the dragon asked.

''I came up with a little joke I'd like to play on the girls, but for it to work they must not see us beforehand.''

''And what kind of joke is it supposed to be?''

''Don't worry, nothing bad. But you're also playing a role in it. Later on, when we're about to land, you have to fly as slowly and carefully as possible, because I'm going to stand up, and I don't want to risk falling down and breaking my neck.''

Pagan laughed and agreed. So that was settled, I would be able to translate my plan into action. Thereupon, Pagan camouflaged himself and we flew on.

Shortly afterwards, we reached the airspace above the palace. From up here, I saw the Kyoshi Warriors, who currently were in the process of gathering in the palace courtyard.

''Very good!'', I thought to myself, ''this means I can start right away! Pagan, begin with your landing, but as I said, slowly and with caution.''

The dragon positioned himself so that he would land directly in the Warriors' field of vision.

I now stood up, took up my position on Pagan's head and started posing like a figurehead, as he revealed us and slowly began to sink towards the ground. I raised my hands to both sides, as I wanted to look like some kind of divine apparition.

As Pagan continued to descend, the girls finally began to notice us. I immediately saw the completely speechless expressions on their faces, especially on Ty Lee's.

I had to laugh after Pagan had landed and I jumped off his head.

Suki was the first to find her voice again, she asked: ''What was that?''

I answered calmly: ''Well, I thought I'd make an entrance worthy of a Grand Master.''

Suki's and Ty Lee's eyes widened, Ty Lee asked full of hope: ''So it worked out? You truly are a Grand Master now?''

I raised my hand, showing the girls my new tattoo: ''Of course. You're looking at the brand new Yulizan, who is now known as the Tyrantslayer!''

I rolled up my sleeve and also showed the girls the character tattoo that displayed my new Grand Master Name, they were visibly impressed.

After that, I said: ''OK, I think that's enough staring for now, it's time to get serious.''

I turned to Suki: ''Are all the Warriors ready for departure to the island?''

Suki nodded and answered: ''We are ready. There's a ship waiting at the harbor that will take us directly to the island. What about you?''

''Pagan and I will follow the ship and then go ashore together with you guys.''

''Alright then. Warriors! We are leaving!''

At that, Suki and the rest of the Warriors began to make their way to the harbor, only Ty Lee stayed behind.

''Are you waiting for something, sweetheart?''

''Oh, right, I haven't told you yet. Suki has allowed me to travel with you and Pagan instead of having to use that boring ship.''

I smiled and kissed Ty Lee.

''That's my girl.'', I said softly and Ty Lee grinned.

''Well then, let's set out.'', I said and started walking back to Pagan.

Ty Lee followed me, and soon after we both sat on Pagan's neck, Ty Lee once again behind me and with her arms wrapped around my midsection, just like during our escape from the Boiling Rock.

I said to Pagan: ''Try flying a little more carefully than usual, we can't risk exposing Ty Lee and the baby to too much stress!''

The dragon nodded and rose into the air with a lot of caution.

Our first destination was the harbor, we saw the ship with the remaining Warriors on board just leaving the bay.

I told Pagan to follow the ship at about the same speed, he obeyed.

This way, we slowly but surely moved towards our new home.

* * *

A few hours later, when the sun was already high in the afternoon sky, I eventually spotted the characteristic features of Kyoshi Island in the distance.

It was rather amazing that my last visit to this place had been more than half a year ago, all the things that had happened during this time, it was just incredible!

I said to Ty Lee: ''Have a look at our new home. This is the place where our little family will come into life.''

Ty Lee replied: ''I think there could not have been a better place.''

I agreed with my love on this: The island actually was the perfect place to start a new life. Due to its remoteness from the mainland, it was nice, quiet and peaceful, the climatic conditions were temperate and the residents were friendly, best conditions for a young, prospective family as we were.

However, we must not forget: we weren't here only to live a calm, relaxed life, we had tasks to fulfill. But I was certain that one would go hand in hand with the other.

I now could see that the ship with the Warriors on board had landed in Kyoshi Bay in the meantime.

The Warriors disembarked and were solemnly received by the inhabitants of the main village.

That's when I knew that it was time for us to arrive as well.

I asked Ty Lee: ''Ready to land?'', she nodded.

I turned to Pagan: ''Alright, my friend, bring us down there, but be careful.''

The dragon thereupon began to descend slowly, until he eventually landed on the beach, right next to the group of Kyoshi Warriors.

The villagers were quite startled when Pagan touched the ground, understandably, like most people in the world, they had never seen a real dragon before.

Suki addressed them: ''Fear not, people, he will not hurt you.''

Although the villagers seemed a little more reassured after Suki's words, I still wouldn't have called their condition actually calm yet.

Ty Lee and I dismounted Pagan, Ty Lee joined the other Warriors, I walked up to Suki and positioned myself next to her.

She began to speak again: ''Residents of Kyoshi Island! This is Yulizan Huyan, a great warrior. He will train the Warriors of Kyoshi from now on and therefore will live with us on the island from now on. We can trust him.''

I bowed to the crowd and now began to speak myself: ''It is a great honor for me to call this island my home from now on. I hereby vow to obey and respect the laws and traditions of Kyoshi Island. The Warriors of Kyoshi will be under my orders and protection from now on, I will continue their training so that they can continue to protect the island from danger.''

I beckoned for Pagan, who immediately took a few steps towards me, with the crowd anxiously backing off a few paces.

I said: ''This is Pagan. He is my dragon, my transporter, my best friend. You don't have to be afraid, he's peaceful, I've raised him myself.''

After my last words, the villagers' tension finally drained away, they seemed to accept me and Pagan.

An old man with a big, thick beard now stepped out from the crowd.

He bowed to me and said: ''Greetings, young master Yulizan. I am Oyaji, the chieftain of this village. I am pleased to meet you.''

I bowed as well and said: ''The pleasure is all mine, Oyaji.''

The old man continued: ''If you do not mind, I would like to talk with you in private for a little, I would like to know more about you.''

''But of course.''

I turned to Suki: ''Go ahead and prepare everything, I'll come and join you as soon as I can.''

Suki nodded and then instructed the other Warriors to go to the shrine of Kyoshi, the group's headquarters.

To Pagan, I said: ''Fly around for a bit and make yourself familiar with the area. But no heroics, you know what I mean by that!''

Pagan nodded and rose into the air, the villagers gazed after him in amazement.

I now turned back to Oyaji and eventually followed the old man to his hut in the village.

* * *

After we had arrived in the old man's hut, he wanted to know more about me, as he had already said.

I considered him trustworthy and so I told him the entire story of my life: The death of my family, my affiliation to the Assassin Order, my adventures with Team Avatar and everything else.

I eventually concluded my story by explaining the reasons for being here:

''Suki then asked me to become the new teacher of the Warriors, because she thought that my Assassin skills could prove useful to the Warriors as well. And so here I am now.''

The old man had listened attentively and repeatedly asked questions from time to time, now he said:

''Well, that is a really eventful life that you have led, Grand Master Yulizan. You have done many things that some people would undoubtedly consider cruel, but you nevertheless are a really honorable young man. I am certain that you will make formidable fighters out of the girls.''

''Thank you very much Oyaji, for being this understanding.''

''That goes without saying, my boy, I know from experience that every person has their pitfalls, no matter of what kind. But to get on to another topic: How and where exactly did you imagine to live here on the island?''

''Well, Suki mentioned something about a big, empty house on the outskirts of the village. I had hoped to move into this house together with Ty Lee, especially with regard to our child.''

''Of course. To be honest, that would have been the option I would have suggested to you myself. All right then, the house is yours.''

The old man stood up and took a key out from a cabinet.

He handed it to me and said: ''To a hopefully long and good living together.''

''Thank you very much. But now I have to go, the Warriors are probably already waiting for me.''

The old man nodded and let me leave.

I left the hut and started making my way to the Shrine of Kyoshi.

For that, I had to pass the harbor again, but that was actually quite convenient for me.

I whistled and Pagan landed next to me only seconds later.

I said to him: ''OK, my friend, I think the time has come. Please fly to the monastery and pick up the weapon shipment I ordered. The blacksmith should wait for you in the courtyard. Oh, and make sure that he gets this.''

I took a scroll out from my own bag and put it in Pagan's neck bag.

The dragon asked: ''What's that?''

''Just a list of things from my room in the monastery's tower which you also have to pick up. Make sure the blacksmith receives the list and packs all the things together with the weapons.''

Pagan nodded and set off.

I looked after him for a short moment, then I continued my way towards the shrine.

* * *

Shortly afterwards, I reached the forest and the shrine within.

It was a larger wooden building, richly decorated with carvings and other ornaments.

''This really is a suitable place for a training of this kind.'', I thought to myself while walking towards the door and eventually pushing it open.

Inside were Suki, Ty Lee and the other eight warriors who were part of this group.

They were practicing all sorts of techniques they already knew, I said in a loud voice: ''Girls!'', whereupon all of them fell silent and stopped their current activities.

I continued: ''It is time to begin with your training.''

The girls immediately understood and knelt down in several rows throughout the entire room.

I treaded through the rows until I reached the front end of the room, just in front of the actual shrine of Avatar Kyoshi.

I looked at the girls, they all knelt with their hands on their thighs and looked down, a good sign, they already showed me the due respect.

I folded my hands behind my back and began to pace up and down, speaking in a low but very authoritarian voice:

''Warriors of Kyoshi, you have chosen me, a Grand Master of the Order of the Assassins, to instruct you in the arts of the Assassins. Your choice was ... wise. We Assassins know secrets and techniques that no one else has even heard of. You know how battle four opponents, I will teach you how to fight forty! You can hide and disappear, I will show you how you become invisible! You will be let in on these secrets, but first we need to clarify some things: By choosing me to be your teacher, you make a pact with the Assassins. The prize for me training you is high: You must commit yourself to obey and honor the rules and the Codex of the Assassin Order at all times.''

I took a scroll out of my bag, unrolled it, rammed a throwing knife into one of the shrine's wooden pillars and hung the scroll, which displayed the Codex of the Assassins, up on it.

I proceeded: ''The Codex is the law of the Assassins! Those who don't honor or disobey it are sinning in the face of the Spirits and are condemned to burn in hell forever!''

The Warriors all swallowed heavily, but maintained their posture.

I now began to recite the Codex while still pacing up and down:

 _''The First Commandment: Honor the Order! Bringing shame and dishonor on the Order, in whatever kind, is the greatest sin an Assassin can commit! The Order is the sanctuary, the Assassin devotes himself to the Order and gives his life for it!''_

 _''The Second Commandment: Follow the instructions of your master! He outranks you, you have to follow every single one of his commands! Any kind of refusal is considered a violation of honor and therefore a sin!''_

 _''The Third Commandment: The Assassins are not subject to anyone except the Avatar! He is the greatest and highest peacekeeper, his word is law! If you meet the Avatar, he is to be treated with the utmost respect, every single one of his words must be obeyed!''_

 _''The Fourth Commandment: Never harm an Assassin Brother or an Assassin Sister in any way! Do not steal from them, do not wound them, do not kill them, unless your master commands you to do so!''_

 _''The Fifth Commandment: An Assassin knows no morality! Do not be afraid to kill an opponent when you get into a fight! The honor and anonymity of the Order takes top priority! If an outsider you cannot trust learns of your affiliation, he is to be eliminated immediately, without any exceptions!''_

 _''The Sixth Commandment: Stay hidden as long as possible! Do not show yourself before the act, otherwise you provide your opponent with too much knowledge and information about you, and this leads to defeat! An Assassin does not rush into combat like a stubborn ox when the mission is achievable in a discreet way!''_

 _''The Seventh, the last and most important Commandment: The Assassins have only one goal: Peace, in all things! Who does not strive for this goal, but instead simply abuses the Order for other purposes, is a traitor!''_

The Kyoshi Warriors had listened to me attentively and took my words in.

''As you can see, these commandments differ the Assassins from other groups. We have something that many do not have anymore these days: Honor! If I am to train you, you must take the honor and turn it into your strength! You must always keep the Codex in your mind! Is that clear?''

The Warriors all answered: ''Yes, sensei!''

''Good. Now, to seal your bond with the Order, repeat after me'':

'' _Zhiyou heping he rongyu, zhenli he daode shi huanxiang!_ The Codex unfolds in these words! Where others are blinded by ideals and opinions, always remember: _There is only peace and honor!_ Where others are restricted by laws and rules, never forget: _Truth and morality are illusions!_ We walk in the shadows, to bring light into the world! We are Assassins!''

The Kyoshi Warriors repeated my words.

I said: ''Rise, Warriors of Kyoshi, and welcome your new life!''

The Warriors stood up, Suki asked: ''Alright, we went through the ceremony, but when does the training begin?''

''The ceremony already was the first part of your training, Suki, you now are familiar with the Assassin philosophy and ready to learn practical techniques.''

At this moment, I heard the sound of wings flapping from outside the shrine.

''Ah, that must be Pagan. Wait here, I'll be right back.''

I stepped out of the shrine and saw my dragon friend landing only one second later, he had several sacks strapped around his neck.

I took the sacks which contained the weapons I had ordered in the monastery's blacksmith's shop from him and said:

''Thank you, my friend, please bring the other sacks to our new house, I will take care of them this evening.''

Thereupon, Pagan flew away again, and I returned into the shrine with the sacks.

I put them down on the floor, Suki asked: ''What's in there?''

''The foundation of your training.''

The Warriors stared at me in surprise, I explained: ''How do you want to learn combat techniques without the fitting weapons? I have had some new weapons made especially for your needs and abilities by the blacksmiths of the Assassin Monastery.''

I opened the first sack, it contained several little crossbows, similar to my own old one.

I explained: ''Assassins must always be able to defend themselves both in close and ranged combat. These crossbows are easy to use and transport, so you shouldn't have much of a problem with them. In addition, there's also a quiver with bolts for each crossbow. Whenever it's possible, try to collect the bolts again after firing them.''

The Warriors nodded and all took a crossbow.

I opened the next sack, it contained the Assassins' signature weapon: The arm blades.

I handed every warrior her pair and they put them on.

Ty Lee inspected the vambrace, on which the blade was attached, from every side and then asked: ''And how exactly does this work?''

I explained: ''You have to hold your fingers like this and then flex your hand and wrist with a jerky movement, like this.''

I showed it to the Warriors, they tried it themselves and after a couple of tries they all managed to do it, which left me satisfied.

Now it was the last sack's turn, it was also perhaps the most important one.

I opened it, took out one of the weapons and was satisfied, exactly how I had ordered them.

The Kyoshi Warriors looked at the object in my hand with astonishment: It was a fan, just like the ones they had always used.

However, there was a big difference: I swung open the fan and then pressed a small button. A soft click sound was heard and blades sprang out of the top end of the weapon.

The girls were visibly impressed, I said: ''I knew that the fans are your preferred weapon. That's why I allowed myself to upgrade them a little bit. With these little companions by your side, you will emerge victorious from every battle.''

The Warriors enthusiastically took the fans, now every weapon had found a new owner.

I said: ''Well then, let's begin with the training.''

* * *

I spent the rest of the day with teaching the Warriors the simple basic movements and attacks with fan, arm blades and sword.

I have to say that I was positively surprised, they were learning fast.

As the day slowly began to come to an end, the sun was pretty close to the western horizon already, I said:

''Alright girls, that's it for today. From now on, we will start training every morning once the sun has completely risen, understood?''

''Understood!'', all Warriors replied with one voice.

Thereupon, the shrine gradually emptied, I waited for Ty Lee to take off her armor, then we walked to our new house together.

As Suki had described, it was sitting on a large grassy area, a little secluded from the main village.

It had a direct view onto the sea, the ways to both the shrine and the village were fairly short.

You could say that the house was part of the village, but still had a very nice private feeling to it.

Next to the door were the other sacks Pagan had picked up from the monastery, mostly books, tools for my weapons and other little things.

I took the sacks into the house and placed all the items in appropriate rooms and places.

While I was doing that, I was also able to get a closer and better look at the house, especially from the inside. It was furnished very nicely and had many rooms, we definitely wouldn't have any lack of space, even after the birth of our child.

While I was busy with putting away all my stuff, Ty Lee had prepared a small dinner for the two of us.

We ate together and thought about the good times that were laying ahead of us, before eventually going to sleep some time later.

Ty Lee was laying with her back to me, which allowed me to cuddle up to her from behind and put my arm over her belly, it was a wonderful feeling.

Just before I fell asleep, my hand moved over to Ty Lee's lower belly, where I was actually able to feel the tiny bump that had already formed there.

With the thought in mind that my hand was literally resting on top of my child, as if I wanted to protect it from harm, the sleep eventually overwhelmed me.

I dreamed of how I was holding our newborn child in my arms, how we were a happy little family.

My life was simply wonderful and I would not let anyone take it away from me anymore!

* * *

But unfortunately, some time later I found out that unfortunately not everything in life could always be perfect.

An Assassin would never be able to rest, there would always be problems requiring his attention.

But no matter what would happen, I would face the danger and protect my family, my whole world, with my life!

* * *

 **Next chapter: The Lady of the Water**


	46. Yulizan and the River Queen

_**Timeline: 5 months after the end of the war**_

* * *

Over the course of the next few months, our new life was quite pleasant.

I continued to train the Kyoshi Warriors, consistently teaching them new and more difficult techniques.

From time to time, they headed out for missions on the mainland, I usually used those periods to devote myself to my scrolls.

I started writing down the knowledge I had accumulated over the course of my life, to preserve it for my descendants so that the line of Assassins in my family wouldn't eventually die out.

Ty Lee's pregnancy also continued to go well, her belly was growing steadily, but actually stayed smaller than I had originally imagined.

Because of this, she continued to go on missions with the other Warriors, the pregnancy still wasn't really limiting her yet, however I still always told her to take special care of herself and not do anything that could harm her or the baby.

She promised it to me over and over again, but I knew her too well by now, I knew that she would probably still perform her risky maneuvers if circumstances so required.

After all: She simply was a large bundle of energy that was hard to stop, but that had also been the reason why I fell in love with her in the first place, which is why I always brought myself to turn a blind eye to it.

Pagan enjoyed his freedom as well, he now was flying through the skies around the island almost permanently, but still was useful doing that, because he kept in touch with our friends on the mainland and always provided us with news and information.

In addition to my activities in writing, I also spent a lot of time either meditating, playing my mandolin or training myself, because even though I basically had planned to retire from my position as an active Assassin after moving to Kyoshi Island, I still wanted to stay in shape, since it could always happen that I needed to go on a mission myself again.

And this actually happened earlier than I had thought.

* * *

The Warriors were busy studying a particularly complex technique that I had assigned them, so I decided to stretch my legs for a bit.

I left the shrine and started making my way to the harbor, to get a breath of fresh sea air.

When I arrived there, the cargo ship of Duzhan, a merchant who was well-known on the island, was just landing. He came by regularly to bring supplies and other goods that normally weren't available on Kyoshi Island.

I had become good friends with him over time, also because I could talk about the seafaring with him a lot and show off the knowledge from my grandfather that I had memorized over the years.

He was instructing a couple of sailors to unload some crates from the ship as I approached and greeted him:

''Hello Duzhan, good to see you.''

The middle-aged man turned around, I saw his friendly face on which wind and weather had left their mark over the years, and greeted back:

''Hello Yulizan. So, how's the training going?''

''Pretty good, the girls are great students, they follow my instructions without protest and they learn really fast.''

''Good to hear.''

''How about you? What's new at sea?''

''Well, the oceans are peaceful, like they've always been since the end of the war, but there's this pretty crazy story from the Earth Kingdom.''

I perked up my ears: ''What story?''

The sailor took off his hat and scratched the back of his head, then began telling: ''Well, you surely know the Lan He, right?''

''The Blue River? Of course. What about it?''

''For some weeks now, strange things have happened at a certain river bend. Several ships have either sunk or disappeared completely, without anyone having any idea where to. Last week, there was an instance where a fishing boat was found wrecked on the rocks on the riverbank. The crew was laying on the riverside in their own blood, they were completely massacred. Throats and guts slashed, eyes gouged out, stuff like that.''

I gulped, that really sounded awful.

''And no one really has any idea who or what could be behind this?''

''Well, there's one small potential clue: One poor devil of the slaughtered crew has actually survived the whole thing. He fell overboard after drinking too much before the ship ran aground. He told of being almost scared to death by a mysterious apparition that apparently destroyed the ship and killed the men. We're not sure however if that was just his imagination running wild during the drunkenness.''

I had listened attentively and asked: ''Is there any way I could talk to this sailor?''

''You're in luck, after this whole thing he signed up for my ship, he thought the sea is now safer than any river. I'll take you to him, come with me.''

I followed Duzhan onto his ship and eventually under deck into one of the cargo holds, where his crew was busy unloading more crates and other cargo.

Duzhan led me to a younger sailor, I estimated him to be around ten years older than myself.

Duzhan called: ''Hey, Jigu!''

The young man turned around and asked: ''What is it, captain?''

''My friend Yulizan here would like to talk to you about how you witnessed the sinking of your old ship.''

I added: ''Only if you agree, of course.''

Jigu visibly struggled with himself, but then he began to tell:

''Well, what can I say? It's all still pretty blurry in my mind, but I'm quite sure that it was a woman who caused the disaster. But she seemed so ... different, she didn't walk, it looked like she was floating, the water of the river seemed to obey her without her actually bending it. She grasped the ship with a huge wave and hurled it onto the reef, the force of the impact throwing my comrades ashore. I don't know what exactly happened then, I only heard loud cries of pain and noises that sounded like drowning, their deaths must have been really agonizing.''

''Do you happen to remember what that woman looked like?''

''As I said, the image still is very blurry in my head, but I think she had fair hair, in which however there was some seaweed or the likes. Her clothing was bluish-gray, as if it was made of water. Oh, and she sang.''

''And how did this singing sound?''

''It was an eerie voice, like when the wind whistles through cracks in a ship's hull. However, I couldn't understand her exact words, sorry.''

I encouragingly clapped the sailor on the shoulder and said: ''Thank you Jigu, you helped me a lot.''

Thereupon, the sailor returned to his work, while Duzhan and I left the interior of the ship again.

* * *

When we were back on the deck, I said to Duzhan: ''I have a hunch who or better said what could be behind this whole thing. But I have to do some more research before I can be completely sure. I'll let you know when I got something solid. You're going to stay here for the rest of day as usual, right?''

''Of course, the unloading will take a few more hours.''

''Alright then, see you later.''

I quickly left the ship and the harbor and made my way home. Even though I originally had wanted to relax for a bit, now I just could not stop thinking about this story, I sensed that it could be a pretty big thing.

Once I arrived in the house, I immediately went into my study, in which all sorts of books and scrolls were piled all over the room.

I searched for one specific book in one of the piles and eventually found it relatively quickly.

I blew the dust away and read the cover: ''Demons and legendary figures of the known world''

The book was subdivided into the individual elements, I searched for the chapter about water and then flipped through the pages.

After a short while, I had found what I had been looking for and my hunch proved true: The description of creature that had attacked the ships on the Blue River matched almost exactly with the fabled legendary figure that was called the River Queen.

The article in the book described it as follows:

''The River Queen. Some think of her as the ghost of a young woman who once drowned in the Blue River, but most studies now assume that it is a water demon that attacks passing ships because it sees its realm threatened.

The actual form is unrecorded so far, according to some unconfirmed sailor stories the River Queen, in its true form, is a hybrid between human, dragon and fish, endowed with razor-sharp teeth and claws.

To most people however, she appears as a beautiful young woman with flowing blond hair, with a few tussocks of seaweed hanging from it.

She has often been described as a powerful water bender, allegedly the entire Blue River is under her control.

A traveling scholar, who once allegedly saw the River Queen with his own eyes, composed a poem about the mystical creature:

 _Merrily we sailed along_

 _Though the waves were plenty strong_

 _Down the twisting Blue River_

 _Following a voice_

 _Oh, the legends we were told_

 _They called her Nuwang_

 _Oh, you would not believe_

 _How her voice can seduce_

 _But her promises are only lies_

 _Dress of silver water, seashell in her hand_

 _All the fish become her throne_

 _The winds will cry_

 _Many men will die_

 _And all the waves will bow down_

 _To her, the River Queen!_

Despite the obvious dangers, people have repeatedly tried to deliberately meet the River Queen, to do homage to her or to offer her sacrifices.

One of these reports states that the River Queen will appear when one places a gold coin in a shell and then launch it into the river.

Neither this story nor the definite existence of the River Queen have been clearly proven to this day.''

''Well, now there is some clear proof.'', I said to myself as I closed the book and put it away.

After that, I sat back in my chair and continued thinking.

If this River Queen really did exist and she really was a demon, then my Assassin honor demanded that I would need to find and destroy her.

Also, if she really existed, she was a danger to innocent people, if it was true what Duzhan and Jigu had said about the massacred sailors, it was imperative that this creature was killed.

Therefore I decided that tomorrow I would travel to the Lan He and try to find and kill this River Queen.

I left the house again and returned to the harbor.

There, I found Duzhan again pretty quickly and told him about my research.

He was quite skeptical when I told him about my plan: ''If I were you, I'd tread warily. Demons aren't exactly fellows to be trifled with.''

''Don't worry, Duzhan. First, this isn't the first demon I'm dealing with, and second, I've killed the Fire Lord, what's the worst that could happen?''

''Yeah, of course. But still, promise me that you'll take care of yourself.''

''But of course.''

I said goodbye to the sailor and then returned to the Shrine of Kyoshi. The warriors were still occupied with their exercise, but their movements already looked much better than before.

I said loudly: ''Alright, girls, that's enough. We finish a little earlier today.''

Most of the Warriors were happy, but Suki and Ty Lee asked: ''Why?''

''Well, I want to go to bed early this evening, because tomorrow I'm going to go on a mission.''

''What kind of mission?''

''Well, there's a place in the Earth Kingdom where most likely a demon is living. I'll go there, take a closer look and destroy the demon if necessary.''

The two immediately said: ''Let us come with you! We can help you surely!''

But I immediately stopped them with a wave of my hand: ''Absolutely not! It's not easy to deal with demons. You've been in training for just over half a year, one needs at least the abilities of a master against a demon.''

''But we've already made so much progress and...''

''I will go alone, and that's that! The second commandment! Follow the instructions of your master! You stay here and continue your training, are we clear?''

''Yes, sensei.'', the leader and my girlfriend replied disappointed.

I of course knew that they just wanted to help me, but I just couldn't and didn't want to endanger them, especially not Ty Lee.

Later this evening, I performed my now almost obligatory listening on Ty Lee's belly.

For some time now, I've been feeling more and more light kicks, the baby was definitely developing well.

I said jokingly: ''With kicks like this, it'll certainly be just as good a fighter as both of us.''

Ty Lee and I laughed heartily and kissed, before we eventually went to bed a little later.

* * *

The next morning, we got up together and had breakfast.

After that, Ty Lee left the house and made her way to the shrine, to continue her training along with the other warriors, while I went into my study and opened the wardrobe in which I had stowed away my equipment.

I gently stroked the fabric of my robe with my hand, I actually had missed the feeling of it to be honest; my everyday clothes, which I wore since moving to the island, had never really given this true sense of strength and security.

I slipped into the robe and then buckled on my weapons. The feeling was quite magnificent, it really felt great to move into gear again after all this time.

I checked one last time, if I had everything important with me, then I left the house.

Outside, I whistled loudly and shortly afterwards, Pagan landed in front of me.

I said: ''Good morning, my friend. Rejoice, we're going on a mission today!''

Pagan's eyes widened: ''Oh, very nice! And where exactly are we going?''

''To the Earth Kingdom, more precisely to the Lan He. There, we need to look for a particularly distinctive river bend with a large rocky reef.''

Pagan nodded, lowered his head so that I could climb on and then rose into the air.

I hadn't flown on the dragon for such a long time that I actually struggled a little to keep my balance on his scaly neck at first, but in the end everything went well and we began to make our way towards the Earth Kingdom.

* * *

A few hours later, when the midday sun was already high in the sky, we reached the Lan He.

It was a wide, torrential river, perfect conditions for shipping.

At some distance, I eventually discovered the ominous reef, on which there were still some remnants of various fishing boats, slowly rotting away.

So here it had happened, but how could I seek out this infamous River Queen now?

Wait, what had that been in the book again? One should put a gold coin in a shell and then launch it into the river.

''It usually costs nothing to try, but this time a gold coin goes on it.'', I thought to myself jokingly, as I took a coin out from my pocket, before starting to search for a shell on the shore and eventually finding one in a matching size.

I put the piece of gold in and gently placed the shell on the water surface.

The little ''ship'' slowly but surely swam to the middle of the river and then along the current.

But then, something strange happened: Suddenly, the shell sank into the floods and the water at that spot began to vibrate strongly and cause ripples, which eventually got stronger and stronger, until a large portion of the river was bubbling heavily.

I drew one of my katanas, unsure of what would happen now.

The bubbling continued to grow stronger, until eventually a large spout of water shot out of the river.

I raised my arm and held it in front of my face, to not get any water in my eyes.

When I removed it again, I saw her: She seemed to be hovering above the water surface, her loose blue dress seemed to be one with the river, the long blonde hair fell onto her shoulders in dense curls. In her right hand, she held the same shell I had put the gold coin into and looked at it with her sea-blue eyes.

Shortly thereafter, her eyes wandered over to me, she smiled gently and said:

''Well hello there. Did you summon me?''

I answered determinedly: ''That depends. Are you the River Queen?''

''That's what the humans call me, but my real name is Nuwang.''

''Well then, Nuwang, I have heard that apparently you are responsible for the numerous calamities with the ships on this part of the river.''

The woman giggled softly and created a bridge out of water, which she then used to come to shore.

She walked towards me, I held my katana up and in front of me, to keep her at distance, I was still unsure what exactly was approaching me here.

Pagan also seemed to feel that something was odd, since he moved a little closer towards me and uttered a little growl towards the mysterious female.

The woman said lowly: ''Oh, my dear boy. Don't believe everything that people tell you. Look at me, how could a young pretty woman like me perform such misdeeds?''

I felt my heartbeat quicken as I answered: ''You are ... a demon! That's why ... you have such great ... power.''

I didn't know why I suddenly started to stutter, but somehow, something in the woman's voice had taken possession of me.

She giggled again and said: ''Who has told you that? Also the bad people? Like I said, do not believe everything they tell you. However, you can believe me when I tell you: Let me free you, here with me you can relax, just let yourself ... fall.''

Without me having any influence on it, I lowered my katana, whereupon the woman came even closer and touched my face with her water-like fingers.

I heard Pagan say: ''Yulizan, what are you doing?'', but my mind wasn't able to process the words correctly, I was like hypnotized by the woman in front of me.

''See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Only a little more, then you are completely relaxed.''

My body wanted to relax, like she was telling me, but then my iron will finally managed to break the spell. Suddenly, I was able to hear my thoughts clearly again, they practically screamed inside my head:

''Wake up! Come on! She's seducing you so that she can kill and gut you, like she did with all those sailors! Fight it off! Kill the witch!''

I shook my head, my vision suddenly became clear again as well, I saw the River Queen mere inches in front of my face.

I pushed her away and said: ''Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that to break the mind of an Assassin!''

The River Queen walked away, turned her back to me and said: ''Hmm, too bad. I had hoped that you would play along nice and peacefully, but if you want it that way...''

Suddenly, the figure changed: The young woman suddenly turned into a strange, terrible-looking creature, with piercing blue eyes, sharp teeth and sharp claws on her fingers.

''...then you will get it this way!''

Her voice had also changed, it now was screeching and shrill, so this was the true form of the River Queen.

I raised my katana again and stormed into the fight!

Pagan, who had been equally as shocked when he saw the demon's true form, uttered a loud roar and spread out his wings, also ready for battle!

* * *

I lunged out and tried to hit the River Queen with many quick blows, but she dodged every single one of them with the speed of the torrential river behind her; despite the fact that she was ashore now, she still definitely had a very strong connection to the river.

As none of my attacks hit their target, the demon tried to counter with a couple of cuts of her claws, which I was able to dodge quite easily.

However, it soon became clear to me that in the long run I could probably not do very much more with my ordinary weapons to try and kill the demon, which is why I eventually decided to resort to the apparently more reliable method: fire bending!

Pagan seemed to have read my mind, because he now also started to breathe several jets of fire towards the River Queen.

But she wasn't stupid, because as soon as we had hurled our first bursts of fire at her, she bent water from the river, formed it into a giant wave and sent it directly towards us!

I was able to jump out of the way at the last second, but Pagan with his large body had no chance to react, the wave hit him with full force!

''Pagan!'', I called, not able to see the dragon because of the enormous mass of water that was in place of where he had been only seconds before.

Thankfully, the water ran off a few seconds later and Pagan reappeared, but something quite bad had happened to him: His snout and the tips of his wings were chained to the ground with big shackles made out of solid ice, he was practically immobile! And no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to break the shackles, the River Queen really had to be a very powerful water bender.

I knew that Pagan probably wouldn't be of any help in this fight anymore, since even though I probably would have been able to melt his shackles with my fire bending, I just didn't have the time for it, I had to stay focused on the demon.

Said demon now made the next attack, she took water from the river, formed it into several blades and tried to cut me with them, I visibly struggled to avoid the blades and destroy them with fire if necessary.

The fight continued for quite a while and was very evenly-matched, none of us managed to gain a clear advantage, until the decisive moment shortly thereafter:

I stormed towards the River Queen, my fists engulfed in flames, but suddenly, the terrible demon had disappeared, instead, there was the beautiful young woman again.

She begged: ''Please, no!''

I was taken aback by this twist so much that for several seconds I didn't pay any attention to what was happening around me.

It was not until I suddenly felt an incredibly sharp pain below my chest that I awoke from my rigidity.

I looked down, distorted with pain, and saw that there was an object sticking just below my left breast.

I grabbed it and pulled it out, it was a dagger that seemed to be made entirely of water, it had stuck in my body to the hilt.

I threw the strange weapon to the ground, it dissolved back into fluid water.

While I had done that, I had already pressed my other hand to the wound, from which blood was constantly pouring out now.

The pain was so intense that I wasn't able to keep myself on my feet anymore.

I sank to my knees and saw the River Queen, she was standing a few meters in front of me and had a diabolical grin on her now again-ugly face:

''Tough luck, boy! No man can defeat me!''

''Well, then it's good that we're not men!'', I suddenly heard somebody say loudly.

I knew that voice only too well, it was Suki!

However, I didn't have any time to think about it, because only seconds later, I felt sick and dropped completely to the ground, my world went dark.

* * *

The next thing I perceived was the voice of Ty Lee:

''Yulizan! Can you hear me?''

I opened my eyes and carefully looked around: I was lying in a bed again, it was our bed in our house on Kyoshi Island.

Wait, how did I get here?

I saw Ty Lee, Suki and an older woman, the healer of Kyoshi Village.

She said: ''Careful, my boy, your injury is quite severe.''

I finally found my voice again: ''Injury? What happened?''

Suki answered: ''Well, we had a bad feeling when you left on your own, therefore we secretly followed you. We arrived at the river in the same moment that witch stabbed you with that strange dagger. We of course immediately attacked and eventually managed to kill her. Then we took you and brought you back to island as fast as possible. Zheyi here took care of your wound, she says you were very lucky, it was a pretty deep cut, only narrowly missed your lung.''

The old healer nodded and said: ''However, the cut also seems to have released some kind of poison into your body. It had spread in your bloodstream quite a bit already, but I gave you a special herbal tea that should expel it over time. You should get some rest and not exert yourself over the next couple of weeks, then everything should heal normally.''

That was quite a lot of information at once, but right now, I was just happy to be still alive.

I turned to Suki: ''You know that by following me to my mission, you have disobeyed my orders.''

Suki looked to the ground with an ashamed face.

I continued: ''But since you actually saved my life this way, I will condone it this time.''

The leader's face lit up again, she smiled and said to the healer:

''Leave the important medicine here with him and then come with me, I think the two want to be alone.''

The old woman nodded, left a few bowls on the small table next to the bed, and then followed Suki out of the room.

Ty Lee waited for the door to close, then she took off her Kyoshi armor.

As soon as that was done, she crawled into the bed, snuggled up to me and whispered:

''I will make sure that you get better as quick as possible.''

She kissed me gently, I returned the kiss.

Her closeness and warmth did wonders, I quickly became very relaxed.

* * *

As we lay there, my thoughts wandered over the events of the day.

I had been very seriously injured by an opponent for the first time in my Assassin career, I owed my life to the Kyoshi Warriors.

With my free hand, I touched the spot where the River Queen's dagger had cut me, a thick bandage had been put on the wound.

And the Warriors of Kyoshi had really managed to kill the water demon...

That's when I realized that perhaps I should have had more trust in them.

Maybe it was still a long way to go for them to reach the level of master individually, but apparently they were already very efficient as a group.

I decided to, from now on, send them on missions that I previously had considered to be too difficult for them yet.

With a good sense of security for the future, I fell asleep in Ty Lee's embrace shortly after.

But I should experience that I eventually would regret my decision to let the warriors go on missions alone...

* * *

 **Next chapter: A new family member**


	47. The Miracle of Life

**Timeline: 8 months after the end of the war**

* * *

After my rather unsuccessful encounter with the River Queen, our lives gradually returned to their usual course.

The injury put me out of action for a good three weeks; when everything finally was healed and I felt completely fit again, I finally continued the training of the Kyoshi Warriors.

The events surrounding my injury had shown me that I really had underestimated them until now, so for the next few months, I was busy teaching them the quite difficult expert exercises and after a few initial difficulties, they eventually had no real problems anymore with those as well.

Ty Lee liked to joke around and always tried to sneak up on me unnoticed and then scare me, in the evening after a day of sneaking training, but it almost never worked, I simply was too experienced.

Her pregnancy also continued to proceed without any problems and slowly but surely approached the exciting phase, her belly was clearly visible by now, but still quite small considering that she was already in the ninth and therefore last month.

I knew that the birth wouldn't be long in coming, soon it was time, soon I would finally be able to hold my child in my arms!

* * *

Three months after my encounter with the River Queen, on a nice and friendly spring day, I watched the Kyoshi Warriors as they were practicing various acrobatics exercises.

Despite her big belly, Ty Lee was still the best when it came to climbing or jumping between wooden pillars.

Although I had repeatedly expressed my skepticism that this type of exercise, especially in her current condition near the end of the pregnancy, couldn't really be that good for the child and its health, especially because she often hung upside down, she assured me again and again that the baby was fine and she knew what she was doing. I trusted her, but a little uncertainty remained.

As I sat there on the wooden steps in front of the shrine and carved on a piece of wood with one of my daggers, I suddenly heard the call of a hawk.

I looked up from my work and soon discovered the source of the sound in the sky: It really was a hawk and it came right up to me.

I reached out my arm and the bird landed on it gently, he had a normal brown-colored plumage, so this was no message from the Order. Therefore, it probably was a request for help from somewhere on the mainland, addressed to the Kyoshi Warriors.

I unbuckled the scroll from the hawk and then raised my arm a bit, the signal for the bird to fly away again, which it did one second later.

I unrolled the scroll and read it; I had been right, it was a request for help: The Kyoshi Warriors were asked by a former inhabitant of the island, who now lived on the mainland in the Earth Kingdom, to come to his village and settle a large-scale dispute between two hostile families, to restore the peace in the village.

I nodded and rolled the scroll up again, the Warriors had received several of these kind of messages over the last few months, it was something that one really didn't need to shout from the rooftops, they probably wouldn't even need their newly-learned Assassin abilities.

I stood up and walked over to the training warriors. Just as I reached them, Suki jumped off one of the wooden pillars and landed in front of me using the Assassin landing technique, one hand on the ground, the other stretched out to the side.

I held the scroll out to her and said: ''This just arrived, another small mission from the looks of it.''

Suki took the scroll, read it as well, nodded shortly afterwards and said: ''Yeah, I'm sure this won't take long.''

She looked up to the sky, I followed her gaze, I knew that she was checking the position of the sun. It was still midmorning, the sun had yet to unfold its full power.

Suki thought for a moment and said: ''The village we have to go to isn't far from the island's nearest mainland jetty. If we leave within the next hour, we should reach the village around noon. Depending on how the mission goes, we can set out again in the early afternoon and then be back here in the evening.''

I nodded and said: ''The I would suggest that you set out as soon as possible, one should never waste more time than necessary on a small mission like this one.''

''What did I just hear? A new mission?'', Ty Lee chirped as she came up to us.

Suki explained the situation to her, after which Ty Lee said ambitiously: ''Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!''

But I had doubts. I grabbed Ty Lee by the shoulders and said: ''Ty Lee, honey, are you sure you want to go? I'm honestly concerned. Don't forget, you're at the very end of your pregnancy. What if anything happens while you're gone? You would be nothing but a hindrance for your comrades.''

Ty Lee grabbed my hands, removed them from her shoulders and said: ''Yulizan, I've told you so many times before, the baby and I are fine, it's not quite time yet. Believe me, I would know it if I was no longer able to go on a mission. Trust me, nothing will happen to me or the baby, I promise.''

I first looked at our hands, then into Ty Lee's eyes, in which, in addition to her sweet, bubbly energy, I also saw light signs of pleading.

Eventually, I brought myself to give in and said: ''Alright, fine. But this time, you have to swear not to perform any dangerous moves, that would be just too risky.''

Ty Lee raised her hand and said: ''Kyoshi Warrior's honor!''

I smiled and kissed her, then I said: ''Come on, get ready to go, you girls have to set out.''

Ty Lee rejoiced and ran after the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, who were already heading towards the harbor.

* * *

Suki wanted to follow them as well, but I said: ''Suki, please wait for a moment.''

The leader stopped and turned around: ''What is it, Yulizan?''

I grabbed Suki by the shoulders and said in a serious tone: ''Listen: I have a pretty bad feeling about Ty Lee. I'm really scared that something is going to happen to her today while you're away on your mission.''

''But she said that she and the child were fine.''

''She always says that, but especially now, so close to the end of her pregnancy, the risk is just too big for my liking.''

''And what are you going to do? You know how hard it is to talk her out of something.''

''Yes, of course I know that, that's why I've already come up with a solution, you're the only one who will know about this: After you have set out, I will send Pagan after you. He will follow and watch your ship from the air. If anything happens to Ty Lee, he will land and help you bring her back here to the island as fast as possible. Got it?''

''Got it!''

''Good, but don't forget: Only two people on Pagan at once. If the worst comes to the worst, I would suggest that you fly back on Pagan with Ty Lee as fast as possible, while the other warriors take the normal route. Would you be OK with this?''

''Yes, sensei! I will make sure that everything will go well.''

''From your lips to the Spirit's ears, Suki.''

We both laughed for a short moment, then Suki followed the other warriors to the harbor.

I looked after them and sighed, then whistled, whereupon Pagan landed next to me shortly after.

''Hello, my friend. I have a special task for you today. You saw the Kyoshi Warriors heading to the harbor?''

''Yes, why?''

''Well, they're about to set out on a mission and you're going to follow and watch them, unnoticed of course.''

''But why?''

''Well, I have a strange feeling that something might happen to Ty Lee while they're gone. That's why I wanted to make sure that she'll be back here in time if the worst was to happen.''

''Makes sense. So I'm supposed to watch them from the sky and land in case something happens, right?''

''Exactly. I also told Suki about this whole thing, she will know what to do. Now go, my friend, and make sure that my girl returns home safely.''

Pagan nodded and rose to the air, heading towards the harbor, following the warriors.

I gazed after him for a short moment and then looked at the tattoos on my fingers, I prayed that my feeling would turn out wrong today and that nothing would happen to Ty Lee.

But unfortunately, my golden intuition should prove itself once again this time...

* * *

 _ **-POV change-**_

The mission of the Kyoshi Warriors went just as expected, they had reached the village that had asked for their help without any problems and were quickly able to solve the problem between the two families, it really was nothing special for them.

Now they were already on their way back to the jetty they had arrived on, to take the ship back home to Kyoshi Island.

They walked together in a group, giggling softly and chatting about all sorts of topics, when it suddenly happened:

All of a sudden, Ty Lee's eyes shot wide open, her hands clutching her belly and she sank to the ground!

Suki was at her side immediately: ''Ty Lee! What's wrong?''

The pregnant girl almost wasn't able to utter even a single word: ''The baby ... it's ... coming!''

Suki was on the alert immediately: ''Alright, Warriors, we have to...''

Her words were interrupted by a loud roar, the girls looked up to the sky: It was Pagan, the dragon of Yulizan, their teacher!

He dashed towards the ground and landed right in front of the group, then turned to Suki: ''I saw from the air that you stopped walking, what happened?''

''Ty Lee has gone into labor! We have to take her back to the island as fast as possible!''

Suki turned to the rest of the warriors: ''Pagan and I will fly back to the island with Ty Lee, you others take the ship and follow us as soon as possible, understand?''

''Understood!'', the other warriors replied and now started running the rest of the way towards the coast where the jetty with the ship was located.

Suki helped Ty Lee, who was already writhing in pain, back to her feet and led her to Pagan.

With great difficulty, she eventually managed that they both were sitting on the dragon's neck.

Suki shouted: ''Fly! Let's go!'', and Pagan soared into the sky, heading back towards Kyoshi Island with the highest speed he had ever reached.

In the air, the dragon began to concentrate his thoughts, he needed to contact his master: ''Yulizan, can you hear me? Come on!''...

* * *

 _ **-POV change back-**_

I was sitting in my study, writing a new scroll, when I suddenly heard a voice in my head, it was Pagan: ''Yulizan, can you hear me?''

I immediately focused all my thoughts on his voice and tried to answer: ''Pagan! I hear you! What's happening?''

''I'm on my way back to the island with Ty Lee and Suki, Ty Lee is in labor, the baby is coming!''

I don't know how fast I had been, but the next moment I rushed out of the house, ran to the village at the speed of a spreading bushfire and hammered on the door of Zheyi, the healer and physician.

She opened the door and said: ''Easy, my boy, you...''

I didn't let her finish her sentence, but instead called: ''Ty Lee has gone into labor, she's on the way here, come with me, quickly!''

The old woman understood immediately, hurriedly collected some utensils from her house and then followed me to our house, at a speed I honestly didn't expect from her.

Not a minute too soon, because only moments after we arrived at the house, Pagan landed on the large meadow next to it.

Suki jumped off, I rushed over to my dragon friend and saw Ty Lee, writhing in pain, sitting on the dragon's neck; I gently got her down and let her slide into my arms.

I flinched for a brief moment, despite the fact that her belly was not very big, she had become quite heavy nonetheless.

I said to the other two women: ''Into the house!'', they followed me as I carried Ty Lee into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed.

As soon as she was lying there, I stepped away from the bed and let the women do their work.

Suki helped Ty Lee out of her Kyoshi armor, leaving her in her undergarments, whereat I noticed for the first time how much my love was sweating, she really had to suffer great pain.

Zheyi palpated Ty Lee's entire body and said: ''Alright, the child is laying as it should be, everything should be fine.''

Despite the old woman's positive words, I saw fear rising up in Ty Lee's eyes, which is why I now sat down at her side and took her hand, she looked at me, I said: ''Everything will be fine, I'm here.''

At first, she seemed to become a little calmer, but soon after she crushed my hand as she felt a strong contraction.

I tried to distract myself with positive thoughts: ''Every birth is like this, the man suffers as well. But the reward is the most beautiful thing in the world: holding your own child in your arms.'', these thoughts quickly made me forget the pain.

Several hours later, after lots of walking around, even more hand-crushing and the eventual breaking of Ty Lee's water, the old healer finally said: ''Alright, dear, I think you should be ready to push now.''

''Finally!'', I said to myself in my mind and uttered an inaudible sigh, as I led Ty Lee back to the bed where she lied down again.

Zheyi helped Ty Lee spreading her legs, then she said: ''OK, when I tell you to push, you push. One, two, three, push!''

Ty Lee pushed and crushed my hand once again in the process, but I didn't care, I was completely focused on supporting her in this moment.

I tried to encourage her again and again in between the individual contractions, saying things like: ''Come on! You can do it! Soon we'll see our baby!''

Eventually, after a couple of literally painful minutes, the old woman said: ''Alright, Ty Lee, one last time, then you have made it, so give it your all! And ... push!''

Ty Lee pushed as hard as she could, the feeling in my hand disappeared completely, but that was worth it!

I saw the face of the old healer, it was beaming with delight as she walked over to the other end of the room, a little bundle in her arms.

I looked at her. Was that it? Was our baby born? Was it healthy?

Only a minute later, my question was answered, when the old woman came up to me and handed me the bundle with the words: ''Say hello to your little boy!''

I took the bundle into my arms and suddenly looked into a little smiling face with two little gray-blue eyes.

I couldn't believe it! Our baby! It really was here! A boy! We had a son!

At the first moment, I was simply deeply touched by the beauty of this moment, I reached out my finger and gently stroked his cheek, he chuckled softly.

I had to hold back my tears of joy when I said: ''Welcome, little man, we have been waiting for you.''

Meanwhile, Ty Lee had recovered from the worst exertions of the birth, I turned to her and said: ''Look who's here.''

I handed her the bundle, she also looked into his little eyes and smiled just like I did: ''Oh Yulizan, he's perfect!''

''Exactly as he should be.'', I said, before gently kissing Ty Lee on the cheek and then putting my arm around her.

We looked down at the little bundle of joy, our little bundle of joy, we were just so happy in this moment.

But then Ty Lee suddenly turned to me and said: ''Oh no! There's one thing we haven't even thought about yet: His name!''

I was able to calm my love down, when I said: ''Don't worry, I have spent some thoughts on this matter and picked a name. Only if you agree, of course.''

I paused for a moment, looked into Ty Lee's prying face and said: ''I would like his name to be Jin, like my late brother.''

Ty Lee was all smiles and said: ''That's beautiful!''

I smiled back: ''Well, I guess that makes it official. Your name is Jin, little man.''

* * *

We spent the rest of the day with our newborn son; Ty Lee continued to recover from the exertions of the birth, I often held Jin in my arms for a long time, I simply wanted to enjoy his closeness.

In the evening, when the moon was already up in the sky, we stood at the window together, looking out onto the ocean, Ty Lee was holding Jin, who was already fast asleep, in her arms, my right arm was resting over Ty Lee's shoulders like a shield.

We looked into the distance and though the same thing: Now our life truly is perfect!

But of course we also knew: Sooner or later, the everyday life of a family would hit us like a hammer.

But for now, we wanted to take advantage of the great times that lied ahead of us and enjoy them as much as possible.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Like father, like son**


	48. Family Life

**Timeline: 11 years after the end of the war**

* * *

For the first time in my life, my intuition actually did not end up being completely correct.

While our lives had indeed gained another wonderful experience through Jin's birth, however, the resulting family life was not how Ty Lee and I had expected it to be at all.

During my travels and in many pieces of writing, I had learned that while a child would be the most beautiful experience of any couple, it would also bring lots of new and especially exhausting kinds of work.

But to my surprise, the negative aspects mostly did not hit us, and our lives remained as nice and pleasant as they had been for the time before.

Jin turned out to be an almost remarkably quiet baby, he cried or whimpered very rarely, which is why Ty Lee and I almost never had to suffer from insomnia and the likes.

In the first months after the birth, we took care of our son almost around the clock, the Kyoshi Warriors fulfilled their missions with their current abilities.

A good year after Jin's birth, Ty Lee and I eventually began to resume our duties.

While we were busy, we gave Jin into the care of Zheyi, who always looked after him until we had finished our tasks and picked him up again in the evening.

In the summer of that year, my training of the Kyoshi Warriors ended, I had taught them everything in my power and they had mastered everything, some parts even better than I had expected.

With a small ceremony, I appointed all the girls to the rank of Master and tattooed the Assassin seal onto their ring fingers, as well as their personal creeds onto their weapon arms; Ty Lee decided for ''I protect those I love'', which I considered a great choice.

From that moment on, the warriors carried out missions more and more often, while I had basically nothing to do anymore, which is why I, while Ty Lee was away on a mission, tried to spend every spare minute with Jin.

Whenever I played or just spent time with him, I almost always felt that the connection between us was truly very strong, exactly how it should be between father and son.

I also realized quite early that Jin's soul emitted the same glow my own soul did, apparently my son was also destined to learn the ability to bend fire, which made me very happy.

So, my son would have the best premises to succeed me and become an Assassin as well.

* * *

In the year 104 AG, four years after the end of the war, Ty Lee and I married in the Fire Nation capital, it was a nice little private wedding with only our friends as guests.

After Jin's birth, this was the happiest moment of my life, the love of my life was now also officially a part of me.

After our kiss to seal the vow, Ty Lee whispered in my ear: ''Promise me that you will always love me.''

''To the last breath.'', was my answer, I saw the joy in Ty Lee's eyes and I knew that our lives would continue to be as wonderful as they already were.

And as fate willed, the wedding night turned out to be a very special night for us, because Ty Lee became pregnant a second time and eventually gave birth to a healthy girl nine months later.

We named her Miya, the ''beautiful flower'', because she was an almost spitting image of Ty Lee and I had given the latter the nickname ''My pretty flower'' at one point in the past.

So now we had two children and one might think that this would now start the terror, but our life actually continued as calm and nice as before, because even though Miya was also very similar to her mother in character and therefore sometimes seemed like a little whirlwind, during the first months of her life she had been as calm and quiet as her brother had been as well, a trait they both most likely had inherited from me, which made me quite proud.

* * *

The time passed, our children grew bigger and we older, of course.

As soon as Jin had reached the age when he began to actively perceive his environment and to properly understand words and information, I told him all sorts of stories, about my adventures, about the Assassins, just about everything he could use later in his life.

He was very excited and happy every time, I felt that he wanted to emulate me and also become an Assassin once he was older.

Although I was glad that my son was thinking about continuing the family tradition this early, I still wanted to let him enjoy the pleasant years of his childhood before the serious side of life would begin.

Miya, on the other hand, was an entirely different deal; she was always very close to her mother, which was probably due to their almost identical personalities.

I had already sensed quite early in her life that Miya most likely did not possess any bending abilities, another aspect in which she was equal to her mother.

Jin, on the other hand, already showed a certain fascination for fire at an early age, ever since then I was sure that my son would almost certainly become an Assassin.

When he was ten years old, he eventually expressed the wish for the first time, he came to me and said:

''Dad?''

''What is it, Jin?''

''Can I talk to you for a second?''

''Of course, my son.''

I saw that Jin struggled to find the right words, but eventually he said:

''I want to become like you!''

At first I was a little unsure what exactly he meant by that, but then it came to me.

I asked him: ''You mean, you want to become an Assassin?''

My boy's face was radiant with joy when he replied: ''Yes! I want to be as big and strong as you and have a cool sword!''

I laughed and said: ''Easy, Jin. You will grow big by yourself over time and you're still too young for a real sword like mine. But we might be able to do something about your strength. What do you say? Would you like me to make you stronger and show how to become a true Assassin?''

''Yes!''

I ruffled through my son's hair and said: ''OK, then go to bed early today so that you're fit and ready when we start tomorrow.''

Thereupon, Jin stormed into his room, even though it was only late in the afternoon yet.

Ty Lee came into the room and asked me: ''Huh? What's up with him? He normally doesn't even want to go to bed late at night, so we always have to carry him to his room when he falls asleep somewhere else in the house.''

I laughed and said: ''Oh well, he's excited because I promised him that we'll start his training tomorrow. He told that he wants to become an Assassin just like me, isn't that great?''

Ty Lee seemed worried: ''At his age? Isn't that a little too early and too dangerous?''

I shook my head slightly, kissed Ty Lee on the cheek and said: ''Remember: I'm not only his father, but also one of the best Assassins the world has ever known. I'll make sure that nothing happens to him.''

''All right, I trust you.''

I smiled and added: ''If this continues, then sooner or later Miya is going to ask you to take her with you when you go to the Kyoshi Warriors.''

Ty Lee smiled as well and said: ''Maybe, but there's still more than enough time for that. She's a bright girl, she will find her path when the time is right.''

I nodded while my thoughts were already focused on tomorrow's training.

Jin was still too young to officially enter the Order, the minimum age for recruits was twelve years, but if he really wanted to become an Assassin, some prior knowledge couldn't hurt.

* * *

The next morning, we all woke up with individual goals in mind.

Ty Lee had promised Miya to take her along to the village and the harbor for grocery shopping, and Jin could not wait for his training to start.

After a rather hasty breakfast, we all set off individually, Jin practically pulled me out of the house, he really wanted to begin the training.

I laughed as we left the house, he definitely already had the necessary determination.

But as sorry as I was to curb his enthusiasm, the first steps of the training consisted almost entirely of theoretical explanations and the like, while he of course had expected us to go all in immediately, while he of course had most likely expected to immediately grab a sword and start fighting.

I explained the basic Assassin knowledge to Jin, which he had to know and also could understand at his young age.

Although he seemed a bit disgruntled at first because of the lack of practical activities, he was still very eager to learn and absorbed my narrations well and with interest; I was satisfied with him, he was a good and fast learner.

Eventually, after a good hour of explanations, I said: ''Alright, are you ready to receive your first weapon?''

''I am ready.'', Jin replied with the tranquility of an old master, I was visibly impressed by this.

I brought out a light wooden sword from behind my back and handed it to Jin.

While he was already waving it through the air experimentally, I said: ''This should be enough for the beginning. I mean, you're not going to go and slay demons immediately after all.''

We both laughed, then we walked over the meadow on which our house was located, straight towards my personal training area which I had set up a few years ago, to stay in shape and the likes.

It held targets for archery and knife throwing, obstacle courses and many straw dummies, which one could use to practice close combat.

I now drew my own katana and said: ''Alright, Jin: Your first exercise is to learn and then perform this movement without any faults or problems.''

I showed him the movement, it was a normal, smooth swinging of the sword that ended with a powerful strike to the dummy.

When I had finished the movement, which I had done very slowly so that Jin really saw and understood every single aspect, I asked: ''So, do you think you can do this?''

Jin nodded, I said: ''Well then, let's go!''

I stepped aside and left the dummy to my son.

And this is how things continued for the next couple of hours: I had Jin perform the exercise over and over again, corrected his mistakes and encouraged him again and again to never give up.

When it was around noon and Jin was knocked down once again by the force of the strike against the dummy, I walked over to him and said: ''Wrong again. Did you forget? Your legs must be parallel to each other and stay on the ground firmly the entire time while you're lunging out for the strike, otherwise you won't be able to cushion the strike's recoil.''

Jin said: ''Yes, I know, I just forgot.''

I smiled, patted my son on the back and said: ''Chin up. The path to become an Assassin is long and difficult, not something you can learn in one day.''

''How long have you trained to become this good, dad?''

''Well, my basic training took me four years, after that I traveled through the world and continued to improve my skills. I can tell you from my own experience, my son, and you should remember that for the rest of your life: Learning never stops, there is always room for improvement.''

Jin nodded, I smiled and said: ''Come on, continue, I know you can do it.''

Jin turned to the dummy again and continued to try his luck, I walked over to the wooden fence, crossed my arms and looked out at the sea.

''Oh yes, this is a father's life.'', I thought to myself.

* * *

Only a few moments later, I was suddenly roused from my thoughts again, because I heard a loud, well-known voice:

''Daddy!''

I turned around and saw that Ty Lee and Miya had returned.

I jumped over the fence, got on my knees and spread my arms as Miya came running towards me.

I caught her in a wild embrace, lifting her up and whirling her around, she exulted loudly.

When she had calmed down a little again, I said: ''Hey there, my little princess. How was your day, shopping with Mommy?''

Miya immediately started talking a mile a minute, telling me all sorts of things she had seen during the day; while she was still babbling, I approached Ty Lee, who was carrying a small basket filled with all kinds of groceries.

I said to Miya: ''Why don't you go into the house already? I need to talk with Mommy for a second.''

She rejoiced once more, jumped off my arms and ran straight through the door into the house.

I kissed Ty Lee, she asked: ''So, how's the training among men going?''

I laughed and said: ''Pretty good thus far, Jin is a very attentive student, he learns well and fast.''

''Good to hear. I think I now should go and take care of our little monster in there.'', she said as we heard Miya calling for her from inside the house.

I smiled, kissed her again and then went back to Jin.

* * *

The moment I arrived back at the training area, Jin managed to perform the movement and the strike to the dummy for the first time while also staying on his feet!

He could hardly believe it at the first moment: ''I ... I did it!''

I walked up to him and said: ''Very good. See, you can do it.''

''Only because you showed me how to do it! Thank you, dad, you're the best!''

Jin dropped the sword and hugged me tightly.

This hug and his words were beautiful balm on my soul, I felt nothing but joy in this moment.

I now truly had a perfect life, a wife I loved like nothing else in the world and two children who were my everything, it could not be any better.

At that moment, I swore to myself: My life should never change again, this was heaven on earth, I didn't want to live any other way anymore!

And indeed: This wish should come true...

* * *

 **Next chapter: A great master steps down**


End file.
